The Meaning Behind Every Royal Family Member’s Name
The public has been fascinated by the British royal family from the beginning of their rule, and this includes the names they chose.
There are many different reasons that a parent may choose a name for their new child, but most don’t have the pressure that royals face with this decision. However, over the years, there has become a pattern to royal names.
In this article, we’re going to go over the current monarch’s names, so you can see exactly what we mean.
The meaning behind the Sussex family names
The newest member of the royal family is Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. While the royals have a tradition of reusing family names, this is the first time that Archie has been used in the royal family.
According to Nameberry, Archie is of German origin and means “truly brave.” Some speculate that Meghan Markle chose the name because of her love for Archie Comics, but this hasn’t been confirmed. Others think she may have picked the name because of a cat she owned with the same name.
Archie’s middle name, Harrison was chosen because of the literal meaning, “son of Harry.”
Even though Archie was given a middleman to reflect his father’s name of Harry, that isn’t the prince’s actual name. The name Harry was a childhood nickname that stuck.
His real name is Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales. Henry is also German in origin and means “estate ruler,” a logical choice for the Duke.
The name Charles came from his father, and both Albert and David are common Windsor family names that have been used several times over the generations. For example, Queen Victoria’s husband was named Prince Albert.
Although Markle was not born into the royal family, her name still has an interesting story. We know her as Meghan, but she was actually born Rachel Meghan Markle and chooses to go by her middle name.
The meaning behind the Cambridge family names
The Duke of Cambridge was born Prince William Arthur Phillip Louis. According to Nameberry, William is one of the most popular names of all time and means “resolute protection.”
The other names that William was given are common family names. Phillip is the name of Queen Elizabeth’s husband, and William’s grandfather. The Duke’s own father, Charles, also carries the names Arthur Phillip.
Before the Duchess was married, she often went by the name Kate, but her full name is Catherine Elizabeth Middleton. Catherine is a very common British name which means “pure.”
Her parents may have given her the middle name of Elizabeth after the current monarch, although that hasn’t been confirmed.
William and Middleton have three children and they all have traditional royal names. Their oldest, Prince George Alexander Louis was named after his great-great-grandfather, Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI. The name Alexander is a tribute to the Queen, whose middle name uses the feminine form, Alexandra. The name Louis is a common Windsor name, and one of his father’s names.
Princess Charlotte was given the feminine form of her grandfather’s name, Prince Charles. Charlotte is also her aunt, Pippa Middleton’s middle name as well. The Princess’ full name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.
The name Elizabeth is obviously after her great-grandmother, the Queen, and her mother’s middle name. Diana is a tribute to her grandmother, the late Princess Diana.
The youngest of the Cambridge family is Prince Louis Arthur Charles. Again, these are common royal names.
All three of the young prince’s names have been used multiple times throughout the family. Including the Duke of Edinburgh’s uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten.
The Queen and her family names
The Queen’s full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Mountbatten-Windsor. Just as the family has done for centuries, all of the Queen’s names have been used multiple times throughout history.
For example, the Queen’s own mother was also named Elizabeth. There was also the first Queen Elizabeth, who was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and ruled until 1603.
After going over the names of the royal family, one thing is certain, they definitely like to reuse names. Considering this, the newest member of the family, Archie is especially unique because his name hasn’t been used in the family before.
Many consider his mother, Markle to be a breath of fresh air for the monarchy. She’s implemented several changes to the way the family functions, and her son’s name may be just another example of this.
