As the baby countdown gets underway with the commencement of Kate's maternity leave, speculation abounds as to the baby's intended name. According to People.com, British bookmakers are betting on girl names such as Alice (noble) and Elizabeth (God is my oath). For boys, James (supplanter) and Arthur (bear) are the frontrunners. Below I present my picks for both girl and boy names for the royal-infant-to-be.
In my Huffington post article 8 Reasons Why William and Kate Should Not Name Their Daughter Diana (01-28-2015), I suggested six baby girl names based on tradition:
- Louisa Victoria (warrior, conquerer)
- Mary-Elizabeth Alice (bitter sea, God is my oath, noble)
- Marie Caroline (bitter sea, beautiful), Victoria Frances (conquerer, free)
- Elizabeth Leona (God is my oath, lion)
- Julia Marie (youthful, bitter sea)
Trendy suggestions included Charlotte Amelia (free, excel) and Chloe Elizabeth (verdant, God is my oath). Of course, Camilla (perfect) is a no-no.
There is current controversy regarding whether or not the William and Kate will eschew tradition and instead go with Diana (divine) as a name. Jennifer Moss, my co-founder of BabyNames.com, is one such proponent, stating "Like many women my age [Diana's age], I adored her and would love to see them use the name. However, I think it would be prudent to use Diana as a middle name so the baby doesn't feel she has to live up to Princess Diana's beloved image." Another option would be to name a daughter (at least via middle name) Frances (free), Diana's middle name. In contrast to my sister's opinion above, my own opinion is that Diana would not be an appropriate name as it both goes against traditional royal naming practices.
But what about boy names? In contrast to the British bookies, I don't think James will be used as it already a name of one of Queen Elizabeth's grandchildren: James (Viscount Severn) is the son of Prince Edward (Earl of Wessex and brother to Prince Charles). James is also the name of Kate Middleton's brother and too close in the family tree to follow tradition and avoid confusion. Claude Albert Thomas (lame, noble, twin) would be a tribute to Queen Elizabeth's maternal grandfather (Claude Bowes-Lyon) and a pairing with his brother George, who was named after Queen Elizabeth's paternal grandfather. Albert would be a nod to both Queen Elizabeth's father and Diana's paternal grandfather. Thomas would be in honor of the many Thomases in Kate's family tree.
Other boy names in the new royal baby's family tree include:
William's side: Charles (free man), Philip (horse lover), Edward and Edmund (both meaning wealthy protector), and Louis (famed warrior).
Kate's side: Michael (who is like God?), Ronald (counsel rule), John (God is gracious), and William (strong willed warrior) -- the latter not an option for obvious reasons.
There is no doubt that speculation will continue throughout each day of Kate's maternity leave until the long-awaited day of the baby's birth arrives and the name is announced. Regardless of his or her name, we know from day one this baby will be internationally adored.
Dr. Mallory Moss is a board-certified nurse practitioner in psychiatry and a founding partner of BabyNames.com. Since its launch in 1996, BabyNames.com has been heralded as one of the top parenting sites on the internet. Dr. Moss' passions lay in community-based mental health and destigmatizing mental health diagnoses. Dr. Moss was also the editor of the popular online parenting advice column, "Ask Grandma Maggie."