It seems like the royal baby boom just keeps on going.
Just last month newly-wed royal couple Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they are expecting their first child together.
And throughout their royal tour fans were avidly following the Duke and Duchess to see if they let any pregnancy details slip.
And while many royal fans were busy speculating Meghan Markle’s due date and what the baby’s gender will be, one of the most highly-anticipated details was actually what the royal baby’s name will be.
Even though the parents-to-be will have to follow this royal baby name rule, there are a lot of adorable monikers for them to choose from.
And now new research, conducted by Expedia, has revealed the most popular royal names throughout history to help us all guess what the Duke and Duchess might go for.
There's a reason these names have been used by royals over the centuries; they inspire feelings of power and awe. Choosing the perfect name for your child is difficult, but surely names such as these can only give them an advantage in life?
We guess it depends how you look at it, some of these names have fallen out of general use for a reason!
Check out the history of royal baby naming to get an idea of how Kate and Wills were restricted when naming their beautiful children and where Harry and Meghan may get inspiration from.
Royal names
Most Common Royal Male Names
1. Albert, 12 Royals with this name
2. George, 10
3. Charles, 8
4. Edward, 7
5. Christian, 5
6. Frederick, 5
7. Louis, 5
8. Arthur, 5
9. William, 4
10. Henry, 4
11. Alexander, 4
12. John, 3
13. Philip, 3
14. Douglas, 2
15. Ernest, 2
16. Patrick, 2
17. Friederike, 2
18. Auguste, 2
19. Francis, 2
20. Andrew, 2
21. David, 2
22. Augustus, 2
23. Antony, 2
Most Common Royal Female Names
1. Victoria, 9 Royals with this name
2. Mary, 7
3. Louise, 6
4. Alexandra, 6
5. Elizabeth, 5
6. Alice, 4
7. Margaret, 3
8. Charlotte, 3
9. Augusta, 2
10. Helena, 2
11. Maud, 2
12. Agnes, 2
13. Helene, 2
14. Caroline, 2
15. Olga, 2
16. Louisa, 2
17. Diana, 2
The history of royal baby naming
You may have wondered how the bookies got their name predictions for the royal sprog so right when they predicted the names of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. And the answer is pretty simple, really. Their choices were rather limited.
Generally, the royal family have followed a stringent pattern when it comes to names. We've had several Charles', a couple of Elizabeth's, and more than a few George's over the last few centuries, not to mention your Henry's, Beatrice's, Edward's and of course, Charlotte's, which is, coincidentally, the feminine form of Charles.
Sure, we've had a Zara and an Isla thrown in here and there along the way, but generally, royal baby names tend to be, well, pretty repetitive really, with first and middle names passing down the lineage throughout history.
So, how did Kate and Wills - a thoroughly modern royal couple - faired with their baby name choices?
Well, Etiquette expert William Hanson (yes, there is such a thing) has had a fair bit to say about this. Writing for the Mail Online, he states that the couple got it right, dubbing it 'eminently suitable.' Ooh, er.
He also has many opinions on the rules and regulations of naming a royal child. He says, first and foremost, it has to be a royal name.
He goes on to warn parents to stray away from the temptation to 'go for something quirky, like 'Tad' (short for 'Tadpole')' as what we name our children 'can influence their character and their future.' Girls' names ending in an A make for extra brownie points, he says. (Think Queen Victoria, the longest reigning monarch of Great Britain, by 63 years, 216 days).
Floral names are a no-no, he says, as is anything ranking in the Office of National Statistics' list of top baby names, which will, as William says, 'brand the benighted child for life.' Worth noting then, that both George and Charlotte appear in the top 100, although popularity for the first has dipped a little since the little Prince was named in 2013.
The royal couple have a much shallower pool of names to choose from than the rest of society.
Thankfully for Kate and Wills, their choices were made a little easier, as William points out:
'The pool from which Kate and Will are able to choose is much shallower than the rest of society. They have two catalogues of names from which to pick: Biblical or Royal - which often prove to be the same thing.'
'Charlotte is a royal name, although not one that has been 'in use' for some time, and Elizabeth and Diana have obvious and now much discussed meaning: and you couldn't really have had one without the other.'
It seems that Kate and Wills have done alright with Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, as these standards go. All three names have a royal history, with just enough heartfelt tribute to make it a popular choice with the great unwashed - that's us, by the way. They didn't however, opt for a name ending with A - a strong characteristic of regal status.
But with three names of royal British history in there, we think they've done well enough - and we're sure Harr y and Megan will too!
