Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld Named Daughter Harper Haize

Hailee Steinfeld and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen welcomed their first child, a daughter named Harper Haize Allen, in April 2026, and the full name became public nearly three months later, when Steinfeld addressed her directly in a letter published on her Beau Society Substack on June 19.

The Name and How It Happened

Before Harper arrived, the couple had been calling her "Baby Beau" in Steinfeld's newsletter posts. The formal introduction came in a letter Steinfeld wrote to her daughter and published to Beau Society subscribers. "Dearest Harper, I'm in awe of you," she wrote. "You've been here for only a short while now, and somehow it feels as though you've always been ours."

Allen, speaking to E! News about the name, said the decision came together before the birth. "It was an early on thought that we had," he told the outlet. Credit for the idea, he made clear, belongs to his wife. "It was my wife's idea," Allen said. When asked whether the name carries any family significance, he deferred. "She can answer that question better than I can, so I'll let her answer that one."

Steinfeld has not yet publicly explained the origin of Harper Haize. If she does, it will most likely appear in a future Beau Society issue.

What Allen Says About Fatherhood

Allen told PEOPLE that becoming a father has already reshaped his late-night habits. Before Harper, getting to bed before 11:30 p.m. was, in his own words, "a win." That standard no longer applies. "Now, if I'm not in bed by 10, it means we're probably doing something wrong," he said. His first night with Harper caught him off guard. "That first day our baby was born, I didn't expect the baby to be up so much throughout the night," he recalled to E! News. "Everyone talks about how the first two nights they sleep the entire day. 'You're going to be fine.' Our baby was not."

The 2026–27 NFL season is Allen's first as a father. Speaking to E! News, he described a shift in motivation rather than method: the approach to the season hasn't changed, but the reason behind it has. He said he wants Harper to see "how hard you need to work to accomplish something so great." Harper's schedule now structures the household routine.

Steinfeld offered her own view in a Substack livestream on June 17, two days before publishing the name letter. "This is the only summer that she will be a baby baby," she said, as reported by E! News. "And this will be the only summer that I have her in my arms. By next summer, she'll be running around."

Allen and Steinfeld: The Timeline

Allen and Steinfeld married on May 31, 2025, in a ceremony in Santa Barbara, California, after announcing their engagement in November 2024. At the 2025 NFL Honors, where Allen was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player, he gave Steinfeld a public acknowledgment from the stage. "You've been my rock and my best friend," he said. "I would not be standing on this stage if it weren't for you."

The couple announced their pregnancy in December 2025, first through Steinfeld's Beau Society newsletter, then in a joint post on Instagram, a snow-covered video in which Allen kissed her stomach while she wore a fleece printed with the word "Mother." The birth announcement followed on April 2, 2026, posted to Beau Society. "Our baby girl has arrived!!" the couple wrote. "We're feeling incredibly grateful and blessed and savoring these early moments."

Steinfeld shared the first photographs of Harper in May, in a Mother's Day carousel that included a close-up of the baby holding her finger and a shot of Harper's feet in a strawberry onesie.

Allen's Season and the Bills' New Chapter

On the field, Allen heads into his ninth NFL season as the No. 1-ranked quarterback in ESPN's 2026 poll of executives, coaches, and scouts, a ranking the Bills reported on July 13. He is listed by the team at 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds, he is 30 and wears No. 17. His 2025 numbers, 3,668 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a 102.16 passer rating, are on the team's official roster page.

Buffalo's 2026 training camp veterans reported July 28 at St. John Fisher University, with the first open practice scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on July 29. The Bills also begin their first full season at Highmark Stadium, a just-over-$2.1 billion, 60,108-seat venue, with their Week 2 home opener against the Detroit Lions on September 17.

Allen carries a reported six-year, $330 million contract with $250 million guaranteed, according to Reuters. The Bills confirmed the extension keeps him in Buffalo through 2030.

His career passing totals stand at 30,102 yards and 220 touchdowns. Jim Kelly's franchise records, 35,467 passing yards and 237 touchdowns, remain ahead of him. Allen needs 18 more passing touchdowns to move past Kelly's mark, based on official Bills records for both quarterbacks.

Allen will chase those milestones as a father for the first time. Harper Haize Allen was born in April. Her name was chosen before she arrived. What it means, and where it came from, her mother has said she'll be the one to explain.