New research from Ancestry.co.uk – the global leader in family history and consumer genomics – reveals that while ‘Mary’, ‘John’, and ‘Elizabeth’ are the most common girls’ and boys’ names in both family trees, there are several unusual choices that Harry and Meghan could opt for when naming the young royal, including ‘Alvin’, ‘Ralph’, ‘Doria’ and even ‘Gertrude’.
The due date is now weeks away
While the bookies favour ‘Arthur’, ‘Henry’, ‘Victoria’ and ‘Elizabeth’ as the name of the baby, the family trees of the royal couple provide an insight into some alternative possibilities. Harry’s family tree could lead to a Prince ‘Lancelot’, ‘Boniface’ or even a ‘Marmaduke’. While we could see a Princess ‘Ursula’ or ‘Hyacinthe’ because of the female line of the royal family tree.
While many of Meghan’s ancestors have more traditional names, there are some more unlikely options such as ‘Doria’, Meghan’s mother’s name, that could be a possibility. ‘Alvin’ and ‘Doris’ are also options thanks to Meghan’s grandparents, as well as ‘Ralph’, a name previously linked with British royalty in the 90’s comedy, ‘King Ralph’, where a Las Vegas lounge singer ascends to the throne.
A potential wild card option may be ‘Gertrude’ after two of the Duchess of Sussex’s relatives. Meghan’s great-great-grandmother, Gertrude Sadler, was well-known for her charity work, not unlike Harry’s Mother, the late Princess of Wales, Diana.
However, the apple might not fall far from the (genealogy) tree as the young royal could share its name with Harry’s brother, ‘William’, or even be named after Kate’s sister, ‘Philippa’.
Another notable name that could make the cut hails from Jane Seymour – a distant royal relative of Meghan’s. Jane was the Queen of England from 1536 to 1537 as the third wife of King Henry VIII and is believed to have been Henry’s favourite wife, making Princess Jane a strong possibility.
Ancestry spokesperson Russell James said: “Trying to guess the royal baby’s name is a great British tradition and having delved into family tree records, we can see the range of names in both families is incredibly diverse. Although traditional names are making a comeback, it would be wonderful to celebrate a Princess Gertrude or a Prince Lancelot!”
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