Bryce Dallas Howard Welcomes Daughter Beatrice Jean

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

Looks like big brother Theo guessed right!

Bryce Dallas Howard and husband Seth Gabel welcomed a daughter on Thursday, Jan. 19, Bryce’s proud father, movie director Ron Howard, Tweeted on Saturday.

“Beatrice Jean Howard-Gabel born Jan 19 2012 8lbs 6oz. Bryce & Baby B are spectacular. Daddy Seth & brother Theo are beaming ear to ear, ” the filmmaker wrote.

In August, The Help star, 30, told Jay Leno that her 4½-year-old son predicted that his new sibling was going to be a girl, but she and Gabel kept mum even after finding out the sex of the baby in September.

The actress — who also recently appeared in Twilight: Eclipse — has spoken candidly about the postpartum depression she suffered after giving birth to Theo in 2007. But in September, she described feeling euphoric during her second pregnancy.

– Liz Raftery and Stephen M. Silverman

Comments

Jayda on January 22nd, 2012

Pretty name! I thought she was due in November I was wondering when we’d find out about the baby.

Amanda on January 22nd, 2012

Congrats. Love the name too, very old-school

Julie on January 22nd, 2012

What a lovely name. Theo and Bea sound perfect together.

Congratulations to the family!

Erika on January 22nd, 2012

Congratulations to her and her family! I was thinking she probably would have the baby soon, since they announced the pregnancy early.

I’m so glad she had a little girl- I had a feeling she would when she said her son thought it was a girl. Beatrice is not a name I would pick, but it’s cute and it goes really well with Theo.

Robin on January 22nd, 2012

It seemed like this poor girl was pregnant forever! Congratulations and what a sweet classic name.

Shelley on January 22nd, 2012

Congratulations! I am so happy for her and her husband and son! I was so hoping that she would have a little girl and my wish was granted! LOL! May they have many happy memories of their little girl and may her big brother enjoy many fun times with his little sister! All the best to them. P.S. What a beautiful name they have chosen!

shelley on January 22nd, 2012

Congrats to her and her familly. What a sweet name. Her parents seem to have figured out how to have a happy, low-profile, long-lived marriage in the craziness of Hollywood; I hope the same for her and her husband.

missnorcal on January 22nd, 2012

I love the name Beatrice. She and her husband favor old-fashioned names and I love that.

SAR on January 22nd, 2012

Congratulations to the whole family. I’m sure some will grumble about “Beatrice,” but I kind of like old-fashioned names. I hope Beatrice is a redhead like her mom!

rebekah on January 22nd, 2012

Beatrice is a lovely name, and goes nicely with Theodore.

kjc on January 22nd, 2012

I like the Theo/Beatrice combo.
I’d love to see photos, but come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen pics of their son, so can’t see it happening with their daughter.

Julianna on January 22nd, 2012

@Robin, I agree! I was thinking just the other day how strange it was that she hadn’t given birth just yet. Ron sounds like a very proud grandpapa, and what a beautiful name they chose!

Beatrice means the one who brings joy, so I think it’s very fitting and unusual without being odd or strange (out of the top of my head, I can remember only Paul McCartney’s and Eric Dane’s daughters being Beatrice, and theirs are middle names). Congratulations, Bryce, Seth and little Theo, on the newest addition to your family!

ZaraB on January 22nd, 2012

Congratulations to the family! I adore the name Beatrice, and think it goes so perfectly with Theodore! What a refreshing choice after the spate of recent wacky Hollywood baby names… Note to other celebs – a name can be interesting and uncommon without being made-up, bizarrely spelt, or the name of a fruit, country or occupation!

Jillian on January 22nd, 2012

How cute that she picked the name Beatrice (as in Bea, as in Aunt Bea!)

bubbles on January 22nd, 2012

Grandpa Ron must be having some flashbacks to his Opie Taylor days on Andy Griffith with Aunt Bea! Love the name and a sweet (even if unintentional) reference!

Marky on January 22nd, 2012

Beatrice is a pretty name, old-fashioned and sweet. Jean must be for Ron’s mother, Jean Speegle Howard. Nice tribute to Bryce’ s grandmother! Hope she is as nice as everyone else seems to be in the Howard family; they have really shown people how to have a happy marriage, and a lovely family! Hope this next generation lives happily ever after with their new little princess!

Shannon on January 22nd, 2012

Opie always did love his Aunt Bea. lol

Mia on January 22nd, 2012

It seems like she was pregnant for 10 months! – congrats to the whole family!

Beatrice is my least favorite girls name – but it’s their choice.

I hope she’s a Redhead like her mom + grandparents

claudiazz on January 22nd, 2012

When I heard they named her Beatrice, I immediately thought of her Dad’s old television show as a child. Remember Aunt Bea? She was a very special member of the tv family when Ron was a child.

marlowe on January 22nd, 2012

lovely name, lovely mum..

congratulations to them all.. good health!

Sarah on January 22nd, 2012

I agree about thinking she was due in November. On People’s due date calendar, it said November, so I was very confused. I’m happy she finally had her baby and Beatrice is a lovely name. My sister and I call each other Bea, and it’s a darling nickname, even into adulthood!

Anonymous on January 22nd, 2012

kjc- I was just thinking the same thing myself, so I did some search…and there have been pictures of Theo. One was taken around Easter 2010. So hopefully we will see the baby, too.

Julianna- Beatrice IS the middle name of Eric’s daughter, but it’s Paul’s daughter’s first name.

Anyway, congrats to the family…and given the comments she made back in November, I thought she was due a lot sooner (she said she was “just at the end” of the pregnancy and that she needed a permission slip to fly, among other things)!

Anonymous on January 22nd, 2012

Sarah- Bryce never announced a due date, so I think PEOPLE was just guessing based on various comments she made during her pregnancy.

soph on January 23rd, 2012

Bryce looks so pretty in that pic Beatrice Jean is an adorable name.

Ashley on January 23rd, 2012

Beatrice Jean…..can you GET any uglier??? What is wrong with these celebrities and these weird names. Jean is ok, but Beatrice?? Come on now…ick

Toya L. on January 23rd, 2012

Congratulations to them! S/N I think red hair is absolutely beautiful.

Kim on January 23rd, 2012

Beatrice? Seriously? Wow…horrible name..did she gave birth to an 80 year old lady…lol…

Mm. on January 23rd, 2012

Congrats and what a sweet name! Has anyone notice if you pick their kids’ middle names apart, Theodore Norman and Beatrice Jean, it’s almost like Marilyn Monroe’s birth name Norma Jean?

Anonymous on January 23rd, 2012

Mia- Actually, most women ARE pregnant for almost a full ten months (this is due to the fact that pregnancy is calculated as though each month has four weeks, or 28 days, in it. But since February is the only month that, with the exception of leap years, actually has just 28 days, pregnancy ends up lasting closer to ten months rather than nine)!

Anonymous on January 23rd, 2012

Sorry, I wasn’t entirely correct. Most women are pregnant for the full NINE months, meaning that by the time they give birth, about ten months have passed since conception, not a full ten months!

Dominique on February 2nd, 2012

Congrats 2 Bryce!! I’m so happy she had a girl Beatrice! Go Bryce!