This unique royal baby name is steadily growing in popularity after making it's way back onto the most popular baby name list two years ago - but it’s not the name you might at first think of!
- An unexpected royal baby name has made its comeback to sit 99th in the most popular baby names list.
- The name is not only sweet in itself but also has the adorable meaning from its Latin origin of 'she who brings happiness.'
- In other royal news, Which Royal was given a £120,000 birthday ‘card’ for their first birthday? (it’s not who you’d expect).
Choosing a baby name feels like an impossible choice - even super-mum Kate Middleton felt immense pressure when picking out a name for each of her three children. The vast amount of names out there is both a blessing and a curse, with lots of choice meaning you can pick and choose freely but the overwhelming variety can often be, well, overwhelming.
Do you choose from 2023's most popular baby names or do you opt for something more unique? Would you prefer a cool baby name or a cute baby name? Do you love HBO's Succession enough to use a baby name inspired by the popular HBO show?
If it's a royal baby name that you're after, you might want to pay attention to this unexpected royal-inspired baby name that's been growing in popularity over the past two years - and it's not a popular French name like the 'Charlotte' or 'Elizabeth' but it's a connection to the Royal Family is still noticeable and sweet.
The name is Beatrice! According to Nameberry, a website devoted to listing and ranking popular baby names to give soon-to-be parents inspiration, the name Beatrice has finally managed to get into the top 100 list of popular girls' names, taking the spot of 99th in the UK list and sitting comfortably within the top 1000 for the US.
Beatrice has Latin origin and means 'she who brings happiness.' The name can also be shortened into numerous sweet nicknames such as 'Bea' and 'Bee' or even 'Trixie'. Nameberry reports that the nickname 'Bea' actually was its own popular name for four years at the beginning of the twentieth century and they believe the name could make a comeback similar to that of Beatrice.
Speaking about nicknames for actual names, Nameberry say, "Bea is sleek and modern, while Trixie sounds vintage and sassy — though if you favour Trixie, you may want to consider the Beatrix version of the name, which is reminiscent of watercolorist and children's author Beatrix Potter and has that surprising -x ending. Beatrice, on the other hand, feels gentler and more classic."
While the name may only now be getting its mainstream recognition, the Royal Family have long loved the sweet name. The royal connection is historic with Queen Victoria naming her youngest child Beatrice and The Duke and Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew, also choosing it for their oldest daughter when she was born in 1988.
So why is the name popular again now? Sophie Kihm, a Nameberry expert, told The Metro, "Names tend to go out of fashion after they've been stylish for a while. Often, it can be measured in generations. "Names tied to parents' parents' generation are usually considered to be among the least fashionable choices one could use for a baby, like Brenda and Gary today. Once a name is on the decline, we expect it to follow the 100-year rule – names take about 100 years to come back into fashion, that means names of the great-grandparent generation are starting to sound fresh again."
Beatrice joins a number of other royal baby names in the 100 most popular names list with both Harry and George sitting within the top 10 and Charlotte and Louis both in the top 50. Lilibet as a standalone name currently sits in 990th place on Nameberry's ranking but 'Lily' is in the top 30.
However, the names Catherine and Meghan are absent from the list. This is likely because they were popular baby names for the older generation and need time to fall out of use before again gaining popularity. The Nameberry expert shared, "Name trends seem to reflect the cycle of life in that case, only being fresh for the taking when the generation that previously had them no longer are here."