The third in line to the throne will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge. His full name is Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge.

Advertisement

George was the bookmakers’ top name for a boy, and there have been six King Georges up until now, although the most recent King George was actually given the name Albert.

It is thought that George’s second middle name, Louis, was for Prince Charles’ great uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten.

Alexander is said to be a favourite name of Kate’s – and Alexandra for a girl was hotly betted on.

So will baby George inspire a slew of royal copycats?

More like this

According to the BBC’s royal name graph, we don’t seem to be that influenced by royal name choices. William, for example, was already growing in popularity before Prince William was born, although it did continue to grow and is still a favourite now.

Harry, on the other hand, didn’t become a popular name choice until the 90s, when Prince Harry was nearly 10, but it is a name that used to be regarded as a diminutive – Prince Harry’s given name is Henry. The rise in the name's popularity in 1994 could have had little to do with the royal, but because of another very famous – albeit fictional – Harry.

The popularity of Elizabeth actually declined very slightly after the Queen was born, but it has remained a steadily popular choice for decades.

George was the third most popular boys’ name in 1904, before George IV was crowned, and stayed in that spot for 30 years. It has remained consistently popular since then, appearing somewhere in the top 20 since 1996. In 2012, it was the 13th most popular boy’s name in the UK.

But the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are a very well-liked royal couple, and Kate’s fashion choices are frequently copied. So will her baby name choice be, too?

We asked you on Facebook if you would be influenced by the royal baby’s name, you gave a resounding no:

“My baby is unique and will be given a name based on his/her personality,” said Hanan Jaz Tadros.

Karen Mclellan agreed: “Why would you want to give your baby a name just because the royal family have called their baby that name?”

And Rebecca Cowling told us: “I found it hard to choose a name for my baby that I didn’t associate with another person so would not [want to] name it after anybody else.”

We’d like to hear more from you. Are you expecting a baby? Is George on or off your list now, in light of the royal baby’s name?

Read more...

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement