If you’ve not yet had your guess on what Baby Sussex will be called, then help might just be at hand. There’s been plenty of speculation already about what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex might call their first child, due in the spring, but a little bit of history can go a very long way. We know that royalty tends to stick to tradition when it comes to naming princes and princesses, and there’s every chance that Harry and Meghan’s baby will find a family moniker or two on their birth certificate.
With that in mind, travel firm Expedia has compiled a list of the most popular baby names used by the Royal Family since the 19th century in an attempt to highlight the most likely picks for the latest royal baby. Its experts have studied the names of all regal arrivals in a direct line from Queen Victoria to Prince Louis, and they’ve come up with the choices made most often. Victoria heads the list for the girls with Albert topping the picks made for boys, but there are plenty of surprises hidden in the statistics, too.
Let’s start with the girls as just about everyone seems to think Harry and Meghan will welcome a daughter. Victoria is way out in front in terms of previous use, but given that just about every daughter and granddaughter of the great queen got her name in some form or another, that’s not really a shock. Mary comes in second on the princess’ list, just ahead of Louise and Alexandra while Elizabeth makes up the top five of most popular girls’ names. Among the more unusual choices in this rundown are Augusta and Olga which tie for a joint ninth spot with Helene and Agnes.
The names on the boys’ list are much more traditional. After Albert, the next most popular pick has been George with Charles in third place, Edward in fourth and Christian rounding off the top five. There are some unusual names in this rundown, too, with Douglas and Augustus making the cut alongside Francis, which has been a perennial pick for royal baby name guessers since the Cambridges announced their first pregnancy and has never yet been used in this generation.
The travel site has also looked at popular names in other European monarchies, in particular, those of Norway, Sweden and Denmark – should Harry and Meghan want to take some inspiration from their Scandinavian relations. The most popular girls’ name there in recent times has been Louise followed by Marie while boys have been given the names Christian or Carl more than any other.
However, we’ll have to wait until the spring to find out whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have followed tradition and gone for a royal favourite or set their own style and chosen a name all of their own. Whatever they pick, this time next year it will be one of the best-known names in the world as their baby takes their own place in the royal story.
TOP EIGHT NAMES FOR GIRLS
Victoria, Mary, Louise, Alexandra, Elizabeth, Alice, Margaret, Charlotte
ALSO POPULAR FOR PRINCESSES
Augusta, Helena, Maud, Agnes, Helene, Caroline, Olga, Louisa, Diana
TOP EIGHT NAMES FOR BOYS
Albert, George, Charles, Edward, Christian, Frederick, Louis, Arthur
ALSO POPULAR FOR PRINCES
William, Henry, Alexander, John, Philip, Douglas, Ernest, Patrick, Frederick, Auguste, Francis, Andrew, David, Augustus, Antony.
