Names for Second Royal Baby

[lilith]

This is a list of Victoria's children and grandchildren. While there's a lot of repetition, there are a lot of naming options there.

I'd actually really like to see a Princess Adelaide or Alice.

Victoria Adelaide Mary, Princess Royal (November 21, 1840 - August 5, 1901)

married Frederick III of Germany (1831 - 1888)

Kaiser Wilhelm II, German Emperor (1888 - 1918), married Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein and Hermine Reuss of Greiz

Duchess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen (1860 - 1919), married Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meinengen

Prince Henry of Prussia (1862 - 1929), married Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine

Prince Sigismund of Prussia (1864 - 1866)

Princess Victoria of Prussia (1866 - 1929), married Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe and Alexander Zoubkoff

Prince Waldemar of Prussia (1868 - 1879)

Sophie of Prussia, Queen of Greece (1870 - 1932), married Constantine I of Greece

Princess Margarete of Hesse (1872 - 1954), married Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse-Kassel

Albert Edward, King of England as Edward VII (November 9, 1841 - May 6, 1910)

married Princess Alexandra of Denmark (1844 - 1925)

Duke Albert Victor Christian (1864 - 1892), engaged to Mary of Teck (1867 - 1953)

King George V (1910 - 1936), married Mary of Teck (1867 - 1953)

Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar, Princess Royal (1867 - 1931), married Alexander Duff, Duke of Fife

Princess Victoria Alexandra Olga (1868 - 1935)

Princess Maud Charlotte Mary (1869 - 1938), married Haakon VII of Norway

Prince Alexander John of Wales (John) (1871 - 1871)

Alice Maud Mary (April 25, 1843 - December 14, 1878)

married Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse (1837 - 1892)

Princess Victoria Alberta of Hesse (1863 - 1950), married Prince Louis of Battenberg

Elizabeth, Grand Duchess of Russia (1864 - 1918), married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia

Princess Irene of Hesse (1866 - 1953), married Prince Heinrich of Prussia

Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse (1868 - 1937), married Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (his cousin, a daughter of Alfred Ernest Albert, Duke of Edenburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, a son of Victoria and Albert), Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich

Frederick (Prince Friedrich) (1870 - 1873)

Alexandra, Tsarina of Russia (Alix of Hesse) (1872 - 1918), married Nicholas II of Russia

Mary (Princess Marie) (1874 - 1878)

Alfred Ernest Albert, Duke of Edinburgh and of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (August 6, 1844 - 1900)

married Marie Alexandrovna, Grand Duchess, Russia (1853 - 1920)

Prince Alfred (1874 - 1899)

Marie of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Queen of Romania (1875 - 1938), married Ferdinand of Romania

Victoria Melita of Edinburgh, Grand Duchess (1876 - 1936), married Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse (her cousin, a son of Princess Alice Maud Mary of the United Kingdom, a daughter of Victoria and Albert)

Princess Alexandra (1878 - 1942), married Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Princess Beatrice (1884 - 1966), married Infante Alfonso de Orleans y Borbón, Duke of Galliera

Helena Augusta Victoria (May 25, 1846 - June 9, 1923)

married Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (1831 - 1917)

Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein (1867 - 1900)

Prince Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (1869 - 1931), never married but fathered a daughter

Princess Helena Victoria (1870 - 1948)

Princess Maria Louise (1872 - 1956), married Prince Aribert of Anhall

Frederick Harold< (1876 - 1876)

stillborn son (1877)

Louise Caroline Alberta (March 18, 1848 - December 3, 1939)

married John Campbell, Duke of Argyll, Marquis of Lorne (1845 - 1914)

Arthur William Patrick, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (May 1, 1850 - January 16, 1942)

married Duchess Louise Margaret of Prussia (1860 - 1917)

Princess Margaret of Connaught, Crown Princess of Sweden (1882 - 1920), married Gustaf Adolf, Crown Prince of Sweden

Prince Arthur of Connaught and Strathearn (1883 - 1938), married Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife (herself a daughter of Princess Louise, granddaughter of Edward VII and great-granddaughter of Victoria and Albert)

Princess Patricia of Connaught, Lady Patricia Ramsay (1885 - 1974), married Sir Alexander Ramsay

Leopold George Duncan, Duke of Albany (April 7, 1853 - March 28, 1884)

married Princess Helena Frederica of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1861 - 1922)

Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (1883 - 1981), married Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone (she was the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria)

Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1884 - 1954), married Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Hostein

Beatrice Mary Victoria (April 14, 1857 - October 26, 1944)

married Prince Henry of Battenberg (1858 - 1896)

Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke (formerly Prince Alexander of Battenburg) (1886 - 1960), married Lady Iris Mountbatten

Victoria Eugenie, Queen of Spain (1887 - 1969), married Alfonso XIII of Spain

Lord Leopold Mountbatten (formerly Prince Leopold of Battenberg) (1889 - 1922)

Prince Maurice of Battenburg (1891 - 1914)

[anjulibai]

I think the Royals just tend to be conservative and traditional. It kind of goes with job, I think. Even if Will and Kate are more modern, they still believe in keeping to some traditions.

Also, if you look at the families that Victoria's children and grandchildren married into, a lot of those grandchildrens' and great-grandchildrens' names repeat. I think that was pretty standard in the past and among royalty and nobility in general.

[No Cure for Stupid]

I really like the name Victoria. I thought it would have been neat if George had been a girl. There was talk that a girl could ascend to the Throne despite having a younger brother, and it would have been interesting to have the first Queen after Elizabeth II to be Victoria II. I like Victoria Elizabeth Diana as well.

[Geechee Girl]

Extensive list, lilith. I don't see Maud or Adolf coming back in fashion any time soon. Melita is very cute. Baby Princess Mellie would be adorable. I also like Adelaide and Augusta for middle names.

[happy atheist]

My votes for most unlikely from lilith's list:

Waldemar Sigismund - little Prince Wally :lol:

Olga Dagmar

[Pandora Spocks]

Oooh! What fun!

I definitely see Charlotte for a girl. Somehow it just feels right. I think they would use Elizabeth as a middle name to honor the living queen and the late queen-mother. I see the Diana name skipping a generation and then being used as maybe a middle name for some of her great-grandchildren. I do hope it's a girl.

For a boy, well, there's a challenge. It would be very nice for them to honor the Middleton family with the use of Michael somewhere in the list. They might also consider Philip as a middle name. In fact, Michael Philip might be nice. However, I would give them major props if they went with a Scottish name to honor where they met -- something like Hamish or Ian or Angus. They could also use Andrew as a nod to the University where they met. It will be interesting to see. I don't feel them bowing to any familial pressure - they seem to be pretty secure in their own skin which is something I never really got from William's parents.

Zorro Esperanto has a certain ring to it.

[Antigone]

Maybe something nice from another branch of the family. George V was close to the Tsar Nicholas II (they could have passed for brothers, or even twins). The Grand Duchesses had lovely names, and even Alexandra sounds like a viable option, having a royal connection to Queen Victoria (I can't recall which queen, and I took European History! :embarrassed: ) Then again considering right now how Russia is faring... yeah, I should scrub everything I said. Still, their story was quite tragic and passionate.

[Coco]

i thought Charlotte too. :D Do girls get six or seven names like the boys do?

[crazyforkate]

I think the naming has something to do with whether you're likely to be heir or not - Elizabeth got fewer names because she wasn't expected to rule, but Charles and William each got a whole bunch, etc, etc. However, George has three names so it doesn't seem to be a real rule. My guess is that Royal Baby II will have three as well.

[16strong]

I predict Albert for a boy and Victoria for a girl, but I really would love to see Eleanor. It's old enough to sound fresh again, but is still very conservative and "royal-sounding enough." I'm thinking they won't go for it, though, because of Eleanor Roosevelt, an American. Charlotte would be nice, but I think it is too "out there" for them. I really think they will go for something either very conservative and stuffy-sounding, or something that has been used a lot, like George (or both). And nothing remotely controversial.

After all, George didn't win any prizes for originality or creativity. I was pretty disappointed when they announced that name. I got the feeling that William and Kate didn't pick the name, the queen did. And so it probably will be with this baby. :shrug:

[Marianne]

Guillotine ?

*Okay, I'm leaving*

[lilith]

I predict Albert for a boy and Victoria for a girl, but I really would love to see Eleanor. It's old enough to sound fresh again, but is still very conservative and "royal-sounding enough." I'm thinking they won't go for it, though, because of Eleanor Roosevelt, an American. Charlotte would be nice, but I think it is too "out there" for them. I really think they will go for something either very conservative and stuffy-sounding, or something that has been used a lot, like George (or both). And nothing remotely controversial.

After all, George didn't win any prizes for originality or creativity. I was pretty disappointed when they announced that name. I got the feeling that William and Kate didn't pick the name, the queen did. And so it probably will be with this baby. :shrug:

Charlotte may seem "out there" to your ears, but it's a very old name with a very long royal history, so I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be ruled out for being out there. It would also be a nice nod to Charles.

They could call a girl Charlotte Camilla, just to watch people's heads explode

[julie paradox]

I would think they're unlikely to call him Andrew, given the DoY.

The Princess Royal (the woman considered so unlikely to inherit that they didn't give her children titles) has four names - Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise.

James, I suspect, is never going to be used for anyone with the slightest hint of proximity to the throne. Think of the furore that would cause. (Mind you, Charles is sailing a bit close to the wind.)

I think they should go with Malcolm or Kenneth for a future king. Balance out the Elizabeth II thing.

[julie paradox]

oh, and Charlotte is pretty popular at the moment. Not as much as Emily but definitely not weird like when I was at school.

[lilith]

I would think they're unlikely to call him Andrew, given the DoY.

The Princess Royal (the woman considered so unlikely to inherit that they didn't give her children titles) has four names - Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise.

James, I suspect, is never going to be used for anyone with the slightest hint of proximity to the throne. Think of the furore that would cause. (Mind you, Charles is sailing a bit close to the wind.)

I think they should go with Malcolm or Kenneth for a future king. Balance out the Elizabeth II thing.

The Queen offered titles to the Princess Royal's children - she declined them.

[JHeathen]

I was happy to see a Maud in there and think it might be a possibility, given the simple, old-fashioned naming trend that seems to be sticking around. Charlotte, too. Both are hipster.

[anjulibai]

I would think they're unlikely to call him Andrew, given the DoY.

The Princess Royal (the woman considered so unlikely to inherit that they didn't give her children titles) has four names - Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise.

James, I suspect, is never going to be used for anyone with the slightest hint of proximity to the throne. Think of the furore that would cause. (Mind you, Charles is sailing a bit close to the wind.)

I think they should go with Malcolm or Kenneth for a future king. Balance out the Elizabeth II thing.

James is the name of Prince Edward's son. I think it would be a likely name for the new baby if not for that.

[Phoenix]

I agree that using Diana as a girls name, even a middle name would put too much pressure on a child and cause major hurt within the existing royal family.

William was smart and gracious to propose to Kate with his mothers engangement ring. He has been careful to tread lightly on the razors edge of remembering his Mum and keeping in mind the media frenzy and the feelings of his fathers side of the family.

I read a long time ago that Jackie Kennedy Onassis deeply regreted that she and Jack Kennedy named their son after his father. The comment, and I am paraphrasing here, was along the lines of, if they had known what would happen with JFK's assasination they would have never named their first born son after his father.

I never used to be this way but I am increasingly getting supersitious about repeating first names after late relatives in a family. My deceased mother was named after her aunt who died of cancer as a teen. My Mom died of cancer in her 50's... not a teen but still much too early. My grieving father was frequently bitter about how "obsessed" Mom was about the aunt she never knew but was named in honor of. Because of the unfortunate fate of both women who shared the same first name I sincerely doubt it will be seen again in our family. It is almost like it is considered jinxed.

So yes, I can see the British Royal Family being exceptionally careful about what names they give Will and Kate's second child. Things have been pretty frosty between the House of Windsor and the Spencer family since Diana's death. Don't count on seeing Spencer tucked away in a middle name any time soon.

[DGayle]

I honestly think that it may be just as well if both William and Harry only have sons. Not for their sake but for the sake of daughters not having to live with the shadow of a grandmother they never knew who somehow inspired a crowd of deranged followers devoted to her supposed martyrdom.

And if either has a daughter at any point and does not name her Diana (which I don't think they will), the poor Queen will be cursed up, down and sideways for "not allowing" it. The truth of that relationship is that both of them were difficult with the other. The Queen has the disadvantage of not having died young.

I'm relieved I'm not the only one who feels this way. I hoped George would be a girl so a princess would be the heir in her own right for the first time, but since that didn't happen, boys. Being a baby princess in that family would be hell. Absolute hell. It's scary enough having daughters at all, and George is already being stalked so bad that emergency laws are being passed. A baby princess would need to be kept in a box with some sort of tracking device attacked to her.

One of the best things Princess Anne could have done is to give Zara the freedom of not being a princess. The Queen offered, and Anne said no way. Fergie's daughters escaped somewhat only because Fergie did some extremely shocking and horrid things. Princess in that family don't generally fare well.

[DGayle]

For a boy I can see them maybe going with an older royal name like Albert or Alfred.

That's not really older. King George was Prince Albert. He switched to his middle name for political reasons during the war. So Albert and George are from the same person.

[DGayle]

In an age when internet searches make Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, remain "Kate Middleton" in most media, and for a monarch who has been the first heir to the throne for the majority of his life (the longest duration in history), a complete name change is not likely to stick, either. I would be surprised, honestly. And, not because I am in the Cult of Diana that demands he never take the throne, but if his mother lives as long as her mother did...it may not matter. She may survive him.

Charles is almost 66. His mother's health is still enviable. I wouldn't be surprised if she sees 100 at this point. It would seen, if she does, that if Charles is still alive, he may just want to pass on taking the throne at that point. Who wants to take charge of a country when you're about 80 or older?

[Bethella]

That's not really older. King George was Prince Albert. He switched to his middle name for political reasons during the war. So Albert and George are from the same person.

George VI was named for his great-grandfather, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha* (Victoria's husband) which takes the name back to the mid-nineteenth century. In my opinion that makes it an older royal name, particularly because it hasn't been used in the last 50 years.

*The history nerd in me needs to note that George was given the name Albert because he was born on the anniversary of Prince Albert's death.

[anjulibai]

Charles is almost 66. His mother's health is still enviable. I wouldn't be surprised if she sees 100 at this point. It would seen, if she does, that if Charles is still alive, he may just want to pass on taking the throne at that point. Who wants to take charge of a country when you're about 80 or older?

I think you are right that the Queen may well live to be 100. But I do think Charles will want to be king, no matter his age. As much as he seems to enjoy the role he has now, and probably has no wish to be king any time soon, I think the traditionalist in him will feel it is his duty to be king for however long he is meant to be king.

I also think the family as a whole wants to keep William out of the position of king as long as possible. As good a king as every one knows he will be, they also want him to have some normalcy for as long as possible; I sure they feel that even more so for his children. Charles being king, even for a few years, will give William and his family more time to be normal.

[RachelB]

I was happy to see a Maud in there and think it might be a possibility, given the simple, old-fashioned naming trend that seems to be sticking around. Charlotte, too. Both are hipster.

I would lobby for Maud, or-- better yet-- Matilda (which has all the good nicknames and was the name of a woman who claimed the throne for a while). Or Eleanor, though I am sure that would piss a lot of people off. E. of Acquitaine seems to have been a force to be reckoned with.

I am especially partial to Zenobia, having a distant relative with that name, but since Queen Z was eventually captured and enslaved by Rome, maybe not. Or, closer to home, Boudicca, the seriously badass royal Celt who led an uprising against Rome in the first century A.D.

[tabitha2]

Eleanor is What William would have been named if he had been a girl so it's not out of the question but They already have baby Maud in the family so that might not do.