Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spark baby name trend ahead of royal wedding

Prince Harry and his bride-to-be Meghan Markle appear to have had an impact on baby name this spring as many are opting to name their little ones after the couple.

Ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in May, the trend for spring baby names 2018 seems to have taken decidedly regal turn.

Not only has Harry hit the number one spot for baby boys, Meghan has also made it into the top 20 - proving royal wedding fever is well and truly under way.

According to leading pregnancy resource Emma’s Diary, Harry is the most popular boys name being chosen by parents this spring, with Maxwell and Kai coming in at second and third place respectively.

Prince Harry’s brother Prince William is also influencing baby name trends this spring, as William comes in at sixth place, while other royal names Albert and George also made the top 20 list too.

Although both Prince George and Princess Charlotte's names make an appearance on the list, their new little brother Prince Louis's name is yet to make the list - but no doubt it will make an appearance soon thanks to the arrival of William and Kate’s third child on April 23.

When it comes to baby girl names, a floral trend appears to be popular for the second year running.

Daisy comes in at number one, with Lily and Iris taking second and third place respectively.

However, Suits actress Meghan needn’t worry as she did beat the likes of Petal, Poppy and Violet by coming in at number 15.

‘Once again the results from our spring poll show that for girls, the seasonal floral theme is still popular with parents with a scattering of royal favoured names too,’ said marketing director Faye Mingo.

‘Harry remains ever-popular with parents too particularly in light of the upcoming royal wedding, interestingly last spring, Harry didn’t make the top 10 list, yet in January this year Harry was the number one most popular name prediction for 2018,’ she added.

The 2018 spring baby names poll quizzed more than 1,200 parents from across the UK on their chosen baby name this season.

Top 20 spring girl baby names for 2018

1. Daisy
2. Lily
3. Iris
4. Alice
5. Primrose
6. Fleur
7. April
8. Chloe
9. Charlotte
10. Bluebell
11. Aya
12. Coco
13. Elizabeth
14. May
15. Meghan
16. Poppy
17. Petal
18. Amaryllis
19. Rosie
20. Violet

Top 20 spring baby boy names

1. Harry
2. Maxwell
3. Kai
4. Owen
5. Arthur
6. William
7. Bud
8. Neo
9. Denver
10. Albert
11. Leif
12. Clover
13. Atwell
14. Bradwell
15. Jarek
16. Alfie
17. Jacob
18. Rory
19. George
20. Noah

Words by Kirsty McCormack.