Baby Sussex’s possible names – and their royal origins!

April 03, 2019

As <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royal-baby"><strong>Baby Sussex</a></strong>’s arrival draws closer with April just days away, speculation has heated up over what <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/tags/0/prince-harry"><strong>Prince Harry</a></strong> and <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/tags/0/duchess-meghan"><strong>Duchess Meghan</strong></a> will call their first child.
<p>Earlier this month, Betway spokesperson Alan Alger said <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02018110548458/prince-harry-meghan-markle-royal-baby-details/9">the early favourites</a> are Victoria, James and Diana. Meanwhile, Katie Baylis of Betfair said the top three favourite girls’ names are Diana, Alice and Grace. Betting firm William Hill told the <em>Telegraph Victoria</em> is the most likely choice, followed by Diana, Alice, Isabella, Arthur and Alexandra.
<p>Meanwhile, Ancestry.ca enlisted some genealogy and Canadian family history experts to make <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02019032150547/prince-harry-meghan-markle-royal-baby-name-predictions">its own predictions</a>. The private company’s top picks are Lily, Ruth and Matilda for a girl, and Charles, Philip and Alexander for a boy.
<p>Last week, <strong>HELLO! Canada</strong> asked its readers to <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02019032250559/vote-prince-harry-meghan-markle-royal-baby-name/">pick their top choice</a> for Baby Sussex's name, using this list of contenders. The winner? A very <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02019032550581/hello-canada-readers-meghan-markle-prince-harry-choose-name-baby-sussex">popular, beloved name</a> that you likely know.
<p><strong>But where do these names picks come from? Some have royal origins, while others don’t. Click through for a look at all the history behind the names Harry and Meghan may choose for Baby Sussex! </strong>
<p>Photo: © Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

As Baby Sussex’s arrival draws closer with April just days away, speculation has heated up over what Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan will call their first child.

Earlier this month, Betway spokesperson Alan Alger said the early favourites are Victoria, James and Diana. Meanwhile, Katie Baylis of Betfair said the top three favourite girls’ names are Diana, Alice and Grace. Betting firm William Hill told the Telegraph Victoria is the most likely choice, followed by Diana, Alice, Isabella, Arthur and Alexandra.

Meanwhile, Ancestry.ca enlisted some genealogy and Canadian family history experts to make its own predictions. The private company’s top picks are Lily, Ruth and Matilda for a girl, and Charles, Philip and Alexander for a boy.

Last week, HELLO! Canada asked its readers to pick their top choice for Baby Sussex's name, using this list of contenders. The winner? A very popular, beloved name that you likely know.

But where do these names picks come from? Some have royal origins, while others don’t. Click through for a look at all the history behind the names Harry and Meghan may choose for Baby Sussex!

Photo: © Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Victoria

Meaning: Victory

The origins of this name, possibly the most famous on the list, are obvious. Victoria was Queen from 1837 until her death in 1901. During her time on the throne, she became a national icon and had nine children with her husband, Prince Albert. Until the Queen, who is her great-great-granddaughter, set a new record in 2017, Victoria was the longest-reigning British monarch in history.

Since Victoria, many princesses in subsequent generations have been named in her honour. There has been a long line of princesses named after Victoria, including her first-born. It was also the middle name of two of her daughters, Princess Helena and Princess Beatrice. Edward VII, Victoria’s son, also named one of his daughters after his mother, and it was a middle name of two more of his children – Louise, Princess Royal and Maud, who later became Queen of Norway. George V, the Queen’s grandfather, named his firstborn child after Victoria, though she later opted to use the name Mary. It's also one of Princess Eugenie's middle names.

Photo: © Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images

<h2>James</h2>
<strong>Meaning:</strong> Supplanter
<p>James has been a popular name for royals dating back to the 16th century, and was the name of two English kings, including James I (in the portrait), who was also James VI of Scotland, a country that had seven kings named James.
<p>It was also the top contender for <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/tags/0/kate-middleton"><strong>Duchess Kate</a></strong> and <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/tags/0/prince-william"><strong>Prince William</a></strong>'s third child, but they opted to go with <strong><a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/tags/0/prince-louis">Louis</a></strong> when the youngest Prince of Cambridge was born last year.
<p>Photo: © Culture Club/Getty Images

<h2>Diana</h2>
<strong>Meaning:</strong> Goddess of the Moon
<p><strong>HELLO! Canada</strong> readers <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02019032550581/hello-canada-readers-meghan-markle-prince-harry-choose-name-baby-sussex">picked Prince Harry's mother's name</a> as their top choice for Baby Sussex's name. It is considered one of the frontrunners, though it's not known how likely Harry and Meghan are to use the name, since William and Kate already honoured Diana when <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/tags/0/princess-charlotte"><strong>Princess Charlotte</strong></a> was born. Diana is one of Charlotte's middle names.
<p>Photo: © Georges De Keerle/Getty Images

<h2>Alice</h2>
<strong>Meaning:</strong> Of a noble kind
<p>Princess Alice was the third of Victoria's daughters and became the Grand Duchess of Hesse and the Rhine when she married Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse, an old German kingdom, in 1862. The Royal Family has continued to use the name since her death in 1878, as have other royal families in Europe. <strong><a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/tags/0/prince-philip">Prince Philip</a></strong>'s mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, was her granddaughter. It is also one of <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/tags/0/prince-philip">Princess Anne</a>'s middle names. <p>
<p>Photo: © Hulton Archive/Getty Images

<h2>Isabella</h2>
<strong>Meaning:</strong> God's promise
<p>This royal moniker has been used for centuries, and has been the name taken by more than 20 queens throughout history, including the very famous Queen Isabella of Spain, who ruled from 1474 to 1504. It's the Spanish version of Elizabeth, and is the name of <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/tags/0/princess-isabella"><strong>Princess Isabella</a></strong> of Denmark (pictured), the daughter of Danish Crown Prince Frederick and Crown Princess Mary.
<p>Photo: © Ole Jensen/Getty Images

<h2>Arthur</h2>
<strong>Meaning:</strong> Noble and courageous
<p>This name, of course, references the mythical figure who once pulled the sword Excalibur from the stone, becoming Britain's king and defending the country against Saxon invaders. Arthur is also a popular choice for a middle name in the Royal Family, having been given to <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/tags/0/prince-louis"><strong>Prince Louis</a></strong>. It's also one of Prince Charles and Prince William's middle names, and is the name of <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/tags/0/pippa-middleton">Pippa Middleton'</a>s son.
<p>Photo: © GraphicaArtis/Getty Images

Alexander/Alexandra

Meaning: Defender of the people

Many of medieval Scotland’s kings were named Alexander, and of course, the most well known monarch in world history to use the name was ancient Greece’s Alexander the Great. It’s currently one of Prince George’s middle names.

But in terms of modern royal history, both Alexander and Alexandra date back to Victoria, whose given name at birth was Alexandrina after her godfather, Russia’s Alexander I.

Alexandra was also the name of Edward VII’s wife, Princess Alexandra of Denmark, and was adopted by Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt (pictured), Victoria’s granddaughter who later became the queen consort to Nicholas II of Russia.

It is still a popular royal name today. Not only is it one of the Queen’s middle names, but it’s also the name of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg’s daughter, along with Princess Alexandra, the daughter of Prince Ernst August V Hanover and Princess Caroline of Monaco.

<h2>Lily</h2>
<p>While this sounds like an entirely different, new and unique name, it's actually a twist on the Queen's nickname! <a href="https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2018081361136/royal-family-queen-elizabeth-first-name/"><strong>Her Majesty's family calls her Lilibet</strong></a>, and has since she was a child, and Lily is a shortened form of Lilibet, according to Ancestry's experts.
<p>Photo: © Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

<h2>Matilda</h2>
<strong>Meaning:</strong> Mighty in battle
<p>This has long been a name chosen by monarchs throughout world history. In Britain, its use dates back to the 13th century with Matilda of England, the daughter of Henry I, who claimed the throne during the tumultuous period of civil war known as "The Anarchy."
<p>Photo: © Hulton Archive/Getty Images

<h2>Charles</h2>
<strong>Meaning:</strong> Free man
<p>Obviously, this is the Prince of Wales's name, and was also the name of two British monarchs. It is derived from the German Karl, which actually originated from the Anglo-Saxon Ċearl, the name of one of the kings of the English kingdom of Mercia. One of Prince Louis's middle names is Charles.
<p>Photo: © Tim Graham/Getty Images

<h2>Philip</h2>
<strong>Meaning:</strong> Fond of horses
<p>This name would be a touching way to honour Harry's grandfather, and like Charles, it's a classic name long used by many kings, princes, dukes and members of royal houses throughout history. It's also one of Prince Charles and Prince William's middle names.
<p>Photo: © Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images