However you feel about the monarchy as an institution, there’s no denying that the names of royal figures tend to be iconic and woven into our social history, often influencing naming trends as folk choose to give their baby a name with some regal style.
Pregnant? Get week-by-week updates to your inbox Subscribe now
If you’re looking for a popular baby name with royal credentials, you might look to historical figures for inspo, such as Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth (I or II) or one of the eight King Henrys we’ve seen in Britain over the centuries.
Or perhaps you’re captivated by the star power of our current crop of kings, queens, princes and princesses, at home and abroad. Either way, by exploring names with royal connections, you can discover some well-connected boy names and girl names with interesting meanings and origins.
How we chose the top royal baby names
First, we headed to the latest ONS top 100 name lists for England and Wales, released in 2022. Every year, the ONS analyses birth name registrations for babies, creating two lists of the 100 most popular names for baby girls and baby boys. Each year, these lists offer insight into baby name trends and they always feature a fair few royal baby names. We’ve included some of the most popular royal baby names we found in this article. We also checked the Central Statistics Office for Irish baby names and the National Records of Scotland for Scottish baby names.
To add depth to our research process, we checked out a variety of family trees for royal families, both in the UK and abroad, to avoid missing any historical or current names with royal connections.
We cross-referenced our research with names mentioned in other Mumsnet baby names articles, including the most popular boy names and girl names and posh baby names. We also checked out our Mumsnet Baby Names forum to see what parents are saying about popular royal baby names.
A word to the wise; if you’re after a cool baby name and assumed royal names were on the stuffy side, think again. Thanks to trendsetters like Princess Anne’s children Zara Tindall and brother Peter Phillips, we’ve included Isla, Savannah, Mia, Lena and Lucas - all names of the Princess Royal’s grandchildren.
You’ll also see the names of current royalty from countries including Spain, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands and some popular baby names with royal meanings, such as Nala and Malik.
So, with cucumber sandwiches at the ready, let’s look at the 100 most popular royal baby names for 2024.
Popular royal girl names
1. Adelaide
Origin: German
Meaning: Noble kind
2. Alexandra
Origin: Greek
Meaning: To defend or protect
3. Alexia
Origin: Greek
Meaning: To defend or protect
4. Anne (or Ann)
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Grace or favour
5. Alice
Origin: German
Meaning: Noble
6. Autumn
Origin: English
Meaning: Referring to the season Autumn
7. Beatrice (or Beatrix)
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Voyager or she who brings joy
8. Beth
Origin: Hebrew (diminutive of Elizabeth)
Meaning: Pledged to God
9. Camilla
Origin: Latin, Italian
Meaning: Helper to the priest
10. Caroline
Origin: English, French
Meaning: Free woman
11. Catherine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Pure or clear
12. Charlotte
Origin: French
Meaning: Free woman
13. Constance
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Steadfast
14. Diana
Origin: Greek, Latin
Meaning: Divine
15. Eleanor
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is my light
16. Eliza
Origin: Hebrew (diminutive of Elizabeth)
Meaning: Pledged to God
17. Elizabeth
Origin: English
Meaning: My God is an oath
18. Emma
Origin: German
Meaning: Whole/great
19. Estelle
Origin: Occitan
Meaning: Star
20. Eugenie
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Wellborn or noble
21. Gabriella
Origin: Spanish, Italian
Meaning: God is my strength
22. Grace
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Grace of God
23. Helena
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Bright, shining light
24. Isabella
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God’s promise
25. Isla
Origin: Scottish
Meaning: From Islay, an island in the Scottish Hebrides
26. Jane
Origin: English
Meaning: God is gracious
27. Kate
Origin: Greek (diminutive of Catherine)
Meaning: Pure or clear
28. Leah
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Delicate or weary
29. Lena
Origin: Greek, Russian (diminutive of Helena or Yelena)
Meaning: Light or bright one
30. Leonor
Origin: Spanish, Portuguese
Meaning: Torch or light
31. Lili (or Lily/Lilly)
Origin: English, Hebrew (can be derived from Elizabeth)
Meaning: Purity or God is my oath
32. Lilibet
Origin: Hebrew origin (derived from Elizabeth)
Meaning: God is my oath
33. Liza
Origin: Hebrew, Greek (diminutive of Elizabeth)
Meaning: God is my oath
34. Lottie (or Lotte)
Origin: French (diminutive of Charlotte)
Meaning: Strong woman
35. Louise
Origin: French
Meaning: Famous warrior
36. Madeleine (or Madeline)
Origin: French
Meaning: Woman from Magdala or high tower
37. Maud
Origin: German
Meaning: Powerful battler
38. Margaret
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Pearl
39. Margot
Origin: French
Meaning: Pearl
40. Maria
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Of the sea
41. Martha
Origin: Latin, Aramic
Meaning: Lady
42. Mary
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Bitter
43. Matilda
Origin: German
Meaning: Strength in battle
44. Meghan (or Megan)
Origin: Welsh
Meaning:Pearl
45. Mia
Origin: Italian
Meaning: Mine
46. Nala
Origin: African (Swahili)
Meaning: Queen
47. Rani
Origin: Sanskrit
Meaning: Queen or sovereign
48. Savannah
Origin: Spanish
Meaning: Treeless plain
49. Sienna
Origin: Italian
Meaning: Burnt orange
50. Sofia (or Sophia)
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Wisdom
51. Sophie
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Wisdom
52. Stephanie
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Crown or garland
53. Victoria
Origin: Latin origin
Meaning: Victory
54. Zara
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: Blossoming flower
What Mumsnetters say about royal baby names for girls
“Owner of an Elizabeth here - we use the full name and she prefers it that way. She knows she can pick and choose from a wealth of shortened versions when she is older. It’s a classic name but not too popular, she’s the only one in her year and there are only two others in her school.” - Mumsnet user, CaveMum
“I love Victoria. It’s so pretty and elegant and strong and powerful at the same time. I’ve not heard of a baby Victoria in years.” - Mumsnet user, Awwlookatmybabyspider
“I love Zara. It's one of my favourite names ever.” - Mumsnet user, TotalDramarama24
Royal boy names
55. Ade
Origin: African (Yoruba)
Meaning: Royal
56. Albert
Origin: German
Meaning: Noble and bright
57. Albie
Origin: German (diminutive of Albert)
Meaning: Noble and bright
58. Alexander
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Defender of the people
59. Alfie
Origin: English (diminutive of Alfred)
Meaning: Wise counsel or elf counsel
60. Alfred
Origin: English
Meaning: Wise counsel or elf counsel
61. Alfonso
Origin: Spanish, Italian
Meaning: Noble and ready
62. Archie
Origin: English
Meaning: Genuine
63. Arthur
Origin: Celtic, Welsh
Meaning: Bear-like
64. August
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Majestic
65. Carl
Origin: German
Meaning: Free man
66. Carlos
Origin: Spanish, Portuguese
Meaning: Free man
67. Charles
Origin: French
Meaning: Free man
68. Charlie
Origin: English (derived from Charles)
Meaning: Free man
69. Christian
Origin: Latin, Greek, English
Meaning: Follower of Christ
70. Christopher
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Bearer of Christ
71. Edgar
Origin: Old English
Meaning: Wealth, fortune and spear
72. Edward
Origin: Old English
Meaning: Wealthy guardian
73. Ernest (Ernie for short)
Origin: English
Meaning: Serious, resolute
74. Felipe
Origin: Spanish, Greek
Meaning: Friend of horses
75. Felix
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Happy, lucky, fortunate or prosperous
76. Francis
Origin: English, Latin
Meaning: French man
77. Frederick (or Frederik)
Origin: German
Meaning: Peaceful ruler
78. Freddie
Origin: German (derived from Frederick and Alfred)
Meaning: Peaceful ruler or wise counsel, elf counsel
79. Gene
Origin: Greek (derived from Eugene)
Meaning: Well-born, noble
80. George
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Farmer or tiller of the soil
81. Harrison
Origin: English
Meaning: Son of Harry or son of Henry
82. Harry
Origin: English
Meaning: Ruler of the household
83. Henry
Origin: German
Meaning: Ruler of the household
84. James
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Supplanter
85. John
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is gracious
86. Leopold
Origin: Germanic
Meaning: Brave as a lion
87. Leroy
Origin: French
Meaning: The king
88. Louis (or Louie)
Origin: French
Meaning: Renowned fighter
89. Lucas
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Bringer of light
90. Malik
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: King or owner
91. Marcus
Origin: Ancient Roman
Meaning: Warlike, from the god Mars
92. Maximillian (Max for short)
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Greatest
93. Nicholas
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Victory of the people
94. Peter
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Rock or stone
95. Rex
Origin: Latin
Meaning: King
96. Rory
Origin: Irish
Meaning: Red king
97. Rupert
Origin: German
Meaning: Bright fame
98. Teddy
Origin: English (diminutive of Edward)
Meaning: Gift of God
99. Theo
Origin: Greek (diminutive of Theodore)
Meaning: God’s gift
100. William
Origin: German
Meaning: Resolute protector
What Mumsnetters say about royal baby names for boys
“Edward is a lovely name and goes well with William.” - Mumsnet user, BellaVida
“Louis is perfect and the correct pronunciation is further cemented with Prince Louis.” - Mumsnet user, user1492757084
“I know two people called Rex - a rather cool man of 40 and a boy of 10. I really, really like the name.” - Mumsnet user, SallyWD
How to choose a royal baby name
Check out historical royal family trees for inspo - hello there, Henry (x8), Anne, Jane, Albert and Arthur. You’ll notice that the most popular royal ‘family names’ tend to be repeated through the generations.
Don’t presume royal equals old-fashioned - many modern royals are choosing popular names from the top 100 ONS lists just like us regular folk.
Take a look at the top 100 ONS lists - many names used by our current British royal family appear on the baby boy and baby girl lists. These include: Charles (number 91), Edward (number 29), William (number 21), George (number 3), Louis (number 50), Harry (number 7), Henry (which is Harry’s birth name and sits at number 10), Archie (number 9), Lucas (number 22), Charlotte (number 25), Mia (number 9), Isla (number 3), Beatrice (number 99), Sienna (number 16), Sophie (number 30) and Zara (number 69).
If you reckon posh and royal are fairly interchangeable, take a look at our posh baby names article for more ideas.
Choose a modern twist on a traditional royal name, such as Charlie rather than Charles or Teddy instead of Edward. Or put the longer version on your baby’s birth certificate and call them a shorter, less formal name day to day.
Look to international royal families, such as royals in Sweden, Norway, France and the Netherlands - names used by current international kings, queens, princes and princesses include Maud, Leonor, Frederik, Marcus and Alexia.
Consider names with royal meanings, such as Rory, Leroy and Nala.
What’s a good royal name?
If you’re looking for a good royal name for a baby girl, there’s one name that stands out above all others. Our dearly departed British queen, Elizabeth II, reigned for 70 years, until her death in September 2022. Want to pay tribute by naming your baby girl after her? There are lots of reasons why you should.
Elizabeth is sometimes referred to as the ultimate girl name because it’s a perennial classic. It never goes out of style or becomes too trendy and overused. It’s currently at number 60 in the ONS list. It also provides endless opportunities for creative shortenings and nicknames, such as Eliza and Lili which are both in the top 100. As Mumsnet user Ismellphantoms puts it: “Perfect. She'll have a good choice of shortened versions and using Elizabeth is fine for any age.”
If you’d like a link to Elizabeth but prefer the path less well-trodden, how about Lilibet, the queen’s own adorable childhood nickname? It was chosen by Prince Harry and Meghan for their daughter, Princess Lilibet Diana, born in 2021.
If you’re looking for a good royal name for a baby boy, you could give a nod to British kings-in-waiting, William or George. While George may be too popular for you (it’s been in the top 10 for over a decade and is currently at number 3), William is less commonly used, at number 21.
On the other hand, if you fancy something regal but fresh-sounding, Rex could hit the spot. While this short, cool name is outside the top 100, it’s gaining steadily in popularity and with a name literally meaning ‘king’, he’ll rule your heart forever.
About the author
Louise Baty writes parenting content for Mumsnet, producing product round-ups, travel guides and baby name articles. She’s also written content for Mumsnet’s sister site, Gransnet.
Originally from West Yorkshire and now based in Nottinghamshire, Louise has worked as a features writer for consumer magazines and national newspapers for 20 years. She specialises in parenting and lifestyle features and emotional true life first-person interviews and has authored four non-fiction books on parenting and grandparenting.
Mum to two tweenagers, Louise’s own baby name choosing days may be long gone. However, she admits to having spent a LONG time deciding on her DCs’ names, together with her DP.
For this reason, Louise has a particular interest in baby names. She understands how difficult it can be to narrow down a short list from your long list of baby names, either during pregnancy or during the sleep-deprived days following the birth of your baby. By compiling comprehensive and easy-to-follow baby name round-ups for Mumsnet, she hopes to provide inspiration and support to parents-to-be who are looking for the perfect name for their baby.
