Eva Mendes explains inspiration behind daughter's name

New mom Eva Mendes has revealed her love for classic tale The Hunchback of Notre Dame was the inspiration behind naming her newborn daughter Esmeralda.

The actress and her boyfriend Ryan Gosling quietly welcomed their first child, Esmeralda Amada Gosling, in September (14), and for the first time since giving birth, Mendes is opening up about motherhood and why they decided to pick such a novel name.

The actress tells beauty blog Violet Gray, "Ryan and I both love the Esmeralda character from the Victor Hugo novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and we just think it’s a beautiful name. Amada was my grandmother's name. It means beloved in Spanish."

And Mendes admits that being a mom to little Esmeralda isn't as difficult as she thought it might be, suggesting the tot has a harder life than she does.

Mendes jokes, "Everything is a struggle for her. For instance, I haven't thrown up since the 90s and she's thrown up twice since we started this interview. Motherhood is cake compared to what it's like to be a baby."