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Dec 17 2010 11:50 AM ET
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Zac Hanson Welcomes Daughter Junia Rosa Ruth


Bryan Johnson/Courtesy Zac Hanson

Zac Hanson got an early holiday present on Wednesday, Dec. 15 – and it was exactly what he was hoping for.

The Hanson drummer and his wife Kate welcomed their second child, daughter Junia Rosa Ruth, who arrived at 8 lbs., 7 oz.

“We couldn’t imagine a better Christmas gift than this sweet little girl,” Hanson, 25, tells PEOPLE exclusively.

“In just the short time she’s been here, she’s enriched our family and our lives beyond measure,” he adds. “We’re looking forward to celebrating the season with our family and introducing her to everyone.”

Baby Junia joins brother Shepherd, 2½, and a half-dozen cousins ranging from age 2 to 8: Zac’s brother and bandmate Taylor has four kids while Isaac has two.

“We have no intentions to battle the Osmonds in any way,” Zac has joked about his extended family’s brood (who have joined the group on tour). “They can have the crown.”

Adds Kate of the “super-fertile” Hanson headlines, “Honestly, we’re pretty normal. We’re three distinct families but people want to group us together!”

But as a band that’s been performing together for well over a decade, it’s difficult not to: Hanson just finished a sold-out tour to support their fifth studio album Shout It Out, which produced a hit video for the single “Thinking ‘Bout Something”.

– Rennie Dyball

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Comments (37) + Add a comment

Is this the first little girl cousin? I seem to remember the Hanson’s having a bunch of boys. What a great Christmas gift!

- Marlee on

Taylor has one little girl, but yea, the rest are all boys.

- Charlotte on

great news! How sweet to have a little girl in a family that is very boy heavy. Not sure how to pronounce Junia. Is it June-eahh?

Best to them and what a special early Christmas present!

- Allison J on

Taylor has a little girl Penelope

- Missy on

Im with Allison happy for them but need to ask…How do you pronounce this baby name?

- Cortney on

Joo-ny-ah? or June-ee-ah?

- Ivey on

According to Baby Names World, the name is proniunced “(YOO nee ah)”

- Monika on

How awesome and exciting! I am so happy its a girl. I bet Penny is super happy too! Haha. Congrats to Zac and Kate!

- Shannon on

Finally another girl in this clan of boys! Congrats to Zac and Kate on their early Christmas present (she was born on my friend’s birthday!) The name is actually kind of pretty, although I’ve never heard of Junia. Zac with a little girl…so cute!

- Leslie on

Yeah does anyone have any idea about pronounciation? And if she’s gonna be going by her middle name like all the rest of them?

- Sky on

Congratulations to them! I was wondering when his child would be born – it felt like forever ago when we found out they were expecting. I’m sure this will make for a very joyous holiday season!

- Missie on

How nice that Penelope finally has another girl cousin. :)

- Corrie on

Junia is the name of an early Christian mentioned in the New Testament. It’s pronounced JOO-nee-ah in English.

- Julie on

hmph he was supposed to be the father of MY children

- Anonymous on

Not a fan of the name, but congrats to them!

- Brooklyn on

never heard this name before but LOVE it. Kinda like the female version of ‘junior’ isn’t it? Although on a seperate note i can’t believe this is the little drummer from Hanson…. how old do i feel? :-)

- Kim on

Congrats on the little girl! :) Happy to see a girl in the Hanson bunch :) The name is nice, I like it :)

- Jaedyn on

http://www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Junia
The girl name Junia is pronounced as YUWNiyah †. Junia is used mostly in the English and Greek languages. Its language of origin is English and Latin. Latin origin, English use: Biblical name derived from the word ‘junius’. An old form of Junia is Junius (Latin). The Roman name Junius could be from the name of the Roman goddess Juno. The name Junia was borne by an early Christian mentioned by Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, who was described as an important person; the gender of the person is not clear.

In addition, Junia is a variant form of the English name June.

- Naomi on

Junia was an Eastern Orthodox female apostle mentioned in the bible in Corinthians.
Zac and his wife are Eastern Orthodox so there’s the connection to the name.

- Maura on

Thanks Maura! That makes sense!

- Shannon on

Anonymous- hahaha i totally agree. I distinctly remember having a “Zac Attack” Hanson fan book, within it a quiz determining if you were the right girl for Zac. I always was.

Unique name choice; it’s speculated that in the Bible, Junia is the only female apostle mentioned in the New Testament. Makes sense given their faith.

Congrats to them!

- kmb on

YAYYY! Finally another Hanson girl! :)

- CelebBabyLover on

Congrats to them! Are we sure that they’ll be using “Junia” as her preferred name? The Hansons tend to like using their middle names as preferred names after all. So she could be “Rosa” or “Ruth”?

- Viv on

Love this name! Junia is just adorable! I hope they do stick with calling her this name. Junie is an precious nickname too.

Many blessings to this family!

- Elle on

kmb,
What do you mean it makes sense given their faith? What is their faith? Just curious!

- Jacqui on

Jacqui: read up a few posts. Zac and Kate are Eastern Orthodox. Don’t know about Tay and Ike though.

- Shannon on

Viv- I’m guessing they’ll be using Junia as her preferred name, since the other girl in the Hanson clan, Penelope, goes by her first name. :)

- CelebBabyLover on

Congrats to them! They must have one fun family! And love both Junia and Shepard for names. Very cute without being over-the-top!

- molly on

Congrats Zac and Kate! I have to admit those Hanson boys had me at MMMBop! Makes me smile to see them now as daddies!

- emilyc on

Sky, only the men in the family go by their middle names – not the women. Zac’s the only one that doesn’t. I’m so happy for Zac and Kate that they have a little girl and it’s a beautiful name. I bet Penny’s pretty happy too, now that she’s not the only girl anymore. LOL I was hoping the baby would be a girl, because Penny was the only one for the longest time. Congratulations to them!

- Jamie on

Just call her Rosa, problem solved!

haha

- Rosa on

Interesting name. I like it. I prefer June, but I’m not them. Congratulations!

- Barbra on

Junia is the feminine of the Roman Junius. I like it very much; it is pronounced Joo-nee-ah. A nice change from Julia.

- JAHR on

Yay another baby girl!! Now Penelope will have a little girl to play with.The name is unusual, but very pretty. I love the vintage feel of it.I’d say we haven’t seen the last of the Hanson babies. I bet Taylor will add another girl to his brood in the next few years. Congrats to the whole family!

- Emily on

As far as Hanson’s faith goes, I know they’re all Christian and I believe they’re all eastern orthodox in denomination. Congrats to Zac and Kate, I’m so glad its a girl! And the name is beautiful!

- Jodi on

I can’t believe he had a little girl. Weird 2 weeks before Junia was born, I had a dream that Zac had a baby girl named Rose– I knew he would have a girl, but since there were mostly boys I figured, ahh it’ll be another boy! lol. Congrats to them Both! Can’t wait for their 3rd arrival!

- Jax on

Congratulations! The Hanson family just keeps getting bigger every year! Wishing all the very best and a great future. Peace, Love and Music!

- Remco on

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