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Were Blake & Ryan Inspired By These Famous Ineses?

by Keiko Zoll

On Thursday, actor Ryan Reynolds had plenty to celebrate, as he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Perhaps one of the biggest moments to come out of the Walk of Fame ceremony was Reynolds and Blake Lively's baby name reveal for their second child, as fans have been waiting since September to find out their baby's name: Ines! Um, gorgeous. Ines is a pretty unique name, and neither Reynolds nor Lively have revealed the full story behind why they chose the beautifully exotic name they did. There are many famous women named Ines who very well could have provided the couple with inspiration for the name of their newest family member.

This isn't the first time Reynolds and Lively have held out on revealing a unique baby name. When Reynolds revealed daughter James's name on The TODAY Show in 2015, he first joked that her name was Butternut Summer Squash. (I feel like that line between Ryan Reynolds and his Marvel character Deadpool is often very, very blurred.) Us Weekly confirmed baby Ines's name at Reynold's Walk of Fame ceremony, and fans are relieved to finally know her name — but are definitely left wondering more about such an uncommon name.

Ines — pronounced EE-nez with a long "E" — is a name of many origins, including Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and even Dutch. What does Ines mean? According to Nameberry.com, Ines means "virginal" or "pure" and is actually a variation of the name "Agnes." Here are six other famous women named Ines that Reynolds's daughter can now count herself among.

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a 17th century Spanish nun who became known as "The Tenth Muse" during her time for her prolific writing as a self-taught scholar and poet. One of her most notable— and feminist — quotes was "One can perfectly well philosophize while cooking supper," said in response to a bishop who admonished de la Cruz for her writing.

Inés Suárez

Baby Ines can count her father as a superhero, but she shares a name with a pretty badass conquistador from 16th century Spain: Inés Suárez. As a Spanish conquistador, she participated in the conquest of Chile alongside Pedro de Valdivia. In 1541, she defended Santiago from an attack by the Mapuche tribespeople, and, as the above painting by José Mercedes Ortega indicates, had a thing for beheading her enemies.

Saint Ines Of Rome

Saint Ines of Rome is more commonly known as Saint Agnes, owing to the origins of her name. A 4th Century virgin and martyr, Saint Ines is the patron saint of young women, married couples, and virgins. Because of her religious piety, legend holds that spurned suitors outed her as a Christian to their Roman leaders, and she was forced to do a Game of Thrones style Cersei walk of atonement through the streets of Rome. Miracle of miracles however, Ines prayed for divine help, and her body was instantly covered with hair. When her captors could not burn her at the stake — the wood would not burn, according to legend — she was beheaded.

Inês de Castro

A 14th century Portuguese noblewoman, Inês de Castro was a queen who was crowned after her death. While her story is one of royal tragedy, it is well known in Portuguese history. She was secretly married to King Peter I of Portugal, but his father, King Afonso IV, not only forbade the marriage but refused to recognize it as well. Oh, and Afonso had her murdered. Not exactly a happy story.

Inès de La Fressange

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Finally, an entry from this century! Inès de La Fressange is a French model, fashion designer, and fashion icon in her own right. In 2009, she made headlines for walking the Paris Fashion Week runway — at 51 years old — for Jean Paul Gaultier.

Inés Mendoza

As the former first First Lady of Puerto Rico, Inés Mendoza staunchly fought to keep Spanish as the main language of the territory, even in defiance of colonial authorities. She also focused on issues such as the Puerto Rican ecology and environment, as well as public education.

Any of these women are impressive or interesting enough to warrant naming a kid after, but fans will just have to wait and see if any of them inspired Lively and Reynolds. After all, maybe Ines is a family name, like James was for their first daughter.