Why Blake Lively And Ryan Reynolds Named Their Daughter James

When it comes to Hollywood power couples, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are definitely a favorite among fans. The movie star pair tied the knot in 2012, and since then, they've welcomed four children into their family. In 2023, their oldest child, James, is eight years old, Inez is six, and Betty is three. In February 2023, Lively announced that the couple had added a fourth baby to the bunch, but the name of their fourth child remains unknown by the public. 

While the sex of the couple's fourth child is also a mystery thus far, Reynolds and Lively's first three children are all girls. Reynolds has discussed how much he "loves being a girl dad," per Access Hollywood. He told said, "I have three daughters, which I never in a million years would imagine. I come from all boys. I have three older brothers. So for me to have three daughters has been such a ride, and I love every second of it." This couple loves parenting girls, but they still gave their first child what most people would think of as a name traditionally for boys. The couple's first daughter is named James, and while taking a classic boy's name and giving it to a girl may seem like a cool and trendsetting move, the couple's reasoning behind the choice was much deeper than that. 

Before Blake Lively took Hollywood by storm, most people would have considered Blake a traditionally male name. Now, it's difficult not to associate the name with Lively herself. So, giving her first daughter a name like James may have been an easy choice for Lively and hubby, Ryan Reynolds. In reality, though, this choice resulted from a tragedy that took place just after James' birth. "My father just passed away, but my daughter's named after him," Reynolds said on "Good Morning Britain." His father, James Chester Reynolds, died in 2015 after living with Parkinson's Disease. 

Dealing with saying goodbye to a parent while welcoming your first child into the world undoubtedly a life-changing and difficult moment. Still, Reynolds told Mr Porter, "It felt right." He says that his father was able to meet James before he passed away, which made for a bittersweet moment. "He got to see her, which makes me happy," Reynolds explained. Ultimately, it's easy to see why giving James her name was the perfect way to pay homage to her grandfather, and it strengthened the unique bond that had already been formed between the two the moment she was born. 

Despite the touching meaning behind James' name, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's position in the public eye ensured that folks still questioned their choice. Controversy among fans surrounding James' name surprised Reynolds, though. "In the spectrum of weird celebrity baby names, I don't really feel like we're breaking new ground here. I didn't call her Summer Squash Meadowlark," he explained on "Good Morning Britain." "I also thought of going with all the letters silent in her name, and it'd just be pronounced [long breath out]," Reynolds joked before adding, "I'm just giving dumb celebrities ideas." 

Reynolds is clearly one celebrity who doesn't want superstardom to go to his head. "I don't want to be one of those celebs who talks about being a parent like they're the only person in the world who has ever managed to conceive and bear a child," he explained. "It's the most common thing in the world but the most profound... It's super fun. I just love it." It's clear that this couple adores their kids. In Reynolds' words, "Look, we wouldn't do this four times if we didn't love it," per Hello! Still, he wants to make sure that the spotlight doesn't go to the kids' heads, either. "Putting a kid in a business like this, it's generally not about the kid," he told People, adding, "It's usually about the parents." Still, he says, "When they're older, they can do whatever the hell they want," adding, "I'm excited for that."