Hip Royal Names for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Little Prince or Princess
Oh happy day! Kate Middleton is pregnant!
OMG! It looks like Kate Middleton’s nude lounging paid off in the baby-making department because the Duchess is totally preggers with Prince William’s heir. I’d like to be the first person to say congratulations, but since there’s no way I’ll be the first person to say that, I’ll just sit over here in America behind my laptop and be cool. And speaking of cool (COOL SEGUE!) — the young royals are obviously going to be racking their brains trying to come up with the perfect baby name for their little prince or princess. It’s got to be something that honors tradition and yet simultaneously breaks the mold and carries a stamp of modernity to represent the monarchy in the new millennium.
Of course Wills and Kate could choose a family name like Henry, William or Charles for a boy or a modest name like Elizabeth, Catherine or Mary for a girl, but methinks having an auntie called Pippa raises the stakes in this baby’s naming game. The tiniest Windsor has got to have a name that’s cute, fresh, individual and nostalgic. In other words, the same kind of name hip parents all over the world are searching for from obscurity.
I’ve combed through royal names from the houses of Tudor, Hanover and Windsor, and I’ve come up with a killer list that should help Will and Kate narrow things down. If you’re looking for a baby name, you can take a peek at this list, too. I promise I won’t tell the Queen.
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Archibald
Your kid gets total nerd cred with a name like Archibald, and his nickname can be Archie, like the comic strip, or the racist curmudgeon from "All in the Family." Named after Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus.
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Arthur
Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales (19/20 September 1486 – 2 April 1502) was the first son of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York. It's a dorky enough name to be ironically cool, and it evokes images of Dudley Moore in a bathtub. (NOT Russell Brand.)
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Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer (pictured) "was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I," says Wikipedia. He is credited as the author of the Book of Common Prayer still used today in Anglican and Episcopal churches. Cranmer is an amazing name because it sounds like cranberries, or the French for grandmother.
Photo credit: Wikipedia -
Cromwell
A very significant moniker in British history, thanks to both Thomas and Oliver Cromwell. Thomas (pictured) essentially engineered the Reformation, and Oliver was a military leader and a Puritan who persecuted Catholics. The son of peace-loving and gentle William and beautiful Kate could redeem the name for the generations to come.
Photo credit: Wikipedia -
Francis
Francis is the perfect name for a modern Prince because it's French and therefore a little bit je ne sais quoi. Francis II, pictured here, was the son of King Henry II.
Photo credit: Wikipedia -
Pembroke
Pembroke is a town in Wales, and the castle there was the birthplace of King Henry VII. A son named Pembroke might grow up to be a snob, but I bet he would know a lot about bicycle culture.
Photo credit: Wikipedia -
Rhys
The Tudor family name comes from Rhys ap Tewdwr, who lived from approximately 1065 – 1093. He was a Prince of Deheubarth in south-west Wales. These days, the name Rhys is most prominently associated with hottie Jonathan Rhys Meyers (pictured), who played Henry VIII in the Showtime series "The Tudors."
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Seymour
After Jane Seymour (pictured), the only one of Henry VIII's wives to receive a Queen's burial. Or the modern-day actress of the same name, if Kate and Will are big Bond fans. Or the lead male role in "Little Shop of Horrors." No matter what the inspiration, Seymour's your friend.
Photo credit: Wikipedia -
Somerset
After the Duke of Somerset, a title currently held by John Michael Edward Seymour, 19th Duke of Somerset. Also a nod to British author W. Somerset Maugham, who wrote Of Human Bondage. The Somerset coat of arms would make a rad calf tattoo, obvs.
Photo credit: Wikipedia -
Wales
Because why not? It would be a nod to Grandpa Charles (the Prince of Wales), and the kid will definitely grow up to be a soccer player. Plus, how ridonkawesome is this Welsh flag?
Photo credit: Wikipedia -
Abbey
As in Westminster, as in the church where Mommy and Daddy got married. It's just an alternate spelling of Abby or Abbi or Abbie or Abbye and short for the more formal Abigail, which is also good.
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Alice
A great name to go through the looking glass with. After Princess Alice (pictured), daughter of Queen Victoria. Alice was a feminist and a follower of Florence Nightingale.
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Aragon
Spain's Catherine of Aragon (pictured) was Henry VIII's first wife, known widely as a righteous woman who loved God and poor people. Catherine was unable to produce a son for Henry, so he broke from the Catholic Church in order to divorce and banish her, afterwards marrying Elizabeth I's mother Anne Boleyn.
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Brittany
As in the region. It's currently part of France but is also known as one of the six Celtic regions. It has also been referred to as Little Britain, which was a hilarious show on the BBC. Brittany's coat of arms is so girly it's punk.
Photo credit: Wikipedia -
Diana
An obvious but daring choice in honor of William's late mother. Diana was a fashion icon, humanitarian and misunderstood beauty who died too young. Some might consider it garish to name the princess Diana, but you never know -- Kate does wear her engagement ring, so I wouldn't put it past the couple to use Diana as a middle name at the very least.
Photo credit: Wikipedia -
Helena
Princess Helena was the daughter of Queen Victoria, who had nine children in all. Helena was a nurse, and a founder of the Red Cross. If the name Helena is fit for the daughter of Zeus, it's certainly fit for a strong, modern princess.
Photo credit: Wikipedia -
London
Why not name the princess after the capital city? If she grows up to be anything like her mother or her aunt, chances are she'll be spending lots of fun nights there socializing.
Photo credit: Wikipedia -
Margaret
I know the name Margaret seems a bit stodgy, but that's precisely why it's cool. Pictured here is Princess Margaret, the only sibling of QEII and a lady who had an affair with Peter Townsend. That would give Kate and William's Margaret all kinds of rock cred.
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Saxon
The Saxons began living in Britain before the fall of the Roman Empire, and the regions of Essex, Middlesex, Sussex and Wessex are derived from the Saxon name. Naming the princess Saxon would show that she rules from the North to the South, the East to the West. Saxon sounds like a girl who would grow up to be bossy and sexy, like Alfred the Great, pictured here, dubbed "King of the Anglo-Saxons."
Photo credit: Wikipedia -
Victoria
HRM Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years and seven months, the longest of any British monarch, and the longest of any female monarch in history. Naming a girl Victoria would be a way to nod at the longevity of lady monarchs (Great-Grandma Elizabeth is just behind Victoria in the length of her rule) and a shout-out to modern hipster steampunk culture, which borrows heavily from the Victorian Era.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
Main photo via Famecrawler.
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Learn more about Carolyn at her blog.
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