We have since updated this with the addition of our new Desk Editor, Lydia Starbuck.
Another royal baby means another flurry of bets on the name of the child. Royal Central’s editors have given their personal predictions below for the name of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s first child due in spring 2019:
Brittani Barger, Deputy Editor
For a boy, I’m guessing Jacob Philip Alvin. I think they will go with a name that is less traditional in royal circles for the first name, and Jacob was in the top 10 of boy baby names in 2018. The middle names honour the Duke of Sussex’s paternal grandfather, Prince Philip and the Duchess of Sussex’s maternal grandfather, Alvin Ragland.
For a girl, my guess is Isabella Diana Jeanette/Doria. Isabella is a variation of Elizabeth, which could be a way of paying tribute to Her Majesty The Queen. The second name goes without saying; I think the Duke and Duchess will want to honour Harry’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales if it is a girl. I don’t think his niece, Princess Charlotte, having Diana as a middle name will stop them from using it for their daughter, as well. Meghan could honour her maternal grandmother, Jeanette Ragland, by giving their daughter Jeanette as a middle name, as well. Alternatively, I can easily see the Duke and Duchess honouring Meghan’s mother, Doria in the middle name.
Moniek Bloks, Assistant Editor
The previous Duke of Sussex had two (illegitimate) children who had the names Augustus Frederick and Augusta Emma (running out of ideas, I guess?). Though I am going to assume that Augustus and Augusta are too far out there, I do quite like Emma. I expect they will throw in an Elizabeth as a nod to the Queen and perhaps a nod to Harry’s stepmother with a Rosemary?
So for a girl, I am going to guess Emma Elizabeth Rosemary.
A forgotten royal boy name is John, long thought to be unlucky. Diana, Princess of Wales’s father, also happened to be called John so perhaps they will turn the name’s luck around. I expect there will be a nod to Harry’s father if it’s a boy, so I’ll add a Charles for that. I am not expecting Meghan’s father’s name to be mentioned, but perhaps they will surprise us. Adding Philip to the name would be a nice touch.
So for a boy, I am to guess John Charles Philip.
Lydia Starbuck, Desk Editor
The Duchess of Sussex has made no secret of her love of flowers (remember that wedding veil?) and I think should she and Harry welcome a daughter, they could well choose a floral name. Marguerite is another form of Daisy, the flower for April when baby Sussex is due, and it was also one of the Queen Mother’s middle names. I can’t see the couple not honouring the Queen by using Elizabeth and I think Diana is pretty much odds on for a middle name too.
My pick for a girl is Marguerite Diana Elizabeth.
For a son, I think the couple will pay tribute to Prince Charles and Prince Philip but most likely as middle names. A first name for a boy is harder to guess but in the end, I’ve gone for Theodore as it comes from the same root as the name of Meghan’s mother, Doria.
So for a boy, I’m guessing Theodore Philip Charles.
As we originally published this in October 2018, our Deputy Editor at the time, Jamie Samhan provided her guesses. We placed those below:
Jamie Samhan, former Deputy Editor
If the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have a girl, my guess is Amelia Frances Doria. Amelia because a lady in Sydney got the name stuck in my head, Frances for Diana’s middle name and Doria for her own mother.
Should it be a boy, I’m going with James Thomas Andrew. I just really like the name James (plus it is my nickname, Andrew for Prince Philip’s middle name and even though her relationship with her father is strained, he played an important part in her life for so long she might want to work at repairing that relationship.
