The Meaning Behind Every Single Royal Family Member's Name
From Queen Elizabeth to "Lili."
When it comes to naming their children, the royals have a tendency to reuse family favorites: Five of of the female royals share Queen Elizabeth's name and three male royals have Prince Philip's name. Kate Middleton and Prince William surely know the stress of picking the right name—it took them five days to make a final decision about Louis'. One thing's for sure, they're all very special. Click through to see which royals share monikers, and how far back their names date.
Meaning of the Name
Elizabeth: When King George VI and his wife welcomed their first daughter, they decided to give her the name of her mother: Elizabeth. As the eldest child, Princess Elizabeth became the Queen after her father's passing. When she ascended the throne, her mother—who was also Queen Elizabeth—was given the new title of Queen Mother to avoid any confusion.
Alexandra: Queen Elizabeth's grandfather, Edward VII married Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1861, and the two had six children. Her second name was likely given to her as a tribute to her grandmother who died suddenly from a heart attack just one year before Elizabeth was born.
Mary: The Queen's third name was a nod to her father's mother, Mary of Teck.
Meaning of the Name
Charles: The name Charles ironically means "free man," something many might say the Prince of Wales isn't since he's second in line to the throne, and therefore has to follow many strict rules.
Philip: Charles' second middle name was given to him as a nod to his father, Prince Philip. Since Charles received the name, it has been continually given to royal males in line for the throne.
Arthur: The name of the medieval mythical King Arthur was also a name of King George VI—Prince Charles' grandfather. Now it's part of Charles' son's and grandson's names too.
George: The moniker is an ode to the Queen's father, King George VI, who passed away when Charles was just four, leaving the throne to his daughter.
Meaning of the Name
William: Princess Diana threw a curveball when she decided on the name William, a moniker that's been used less frequently by royals. She was reportedly told that whatever she picked had to sound good with "King" in front of it since Wills is third in the line of succession. However, he can choose to go by a different name when he becomes the monarch if he wants.
Arthur: This was a highly speculated name for William's third son, Prince Louis, and it was what Prince Charles wanted his first son to be named. Though Princess Diana said "no" to the first name, she compromised and made Arthur his second name instead.
Philip: When William was born, it was the second time the name Philip was given to a royal family member to honor the Queen's husband, Prince Philip.
Louis: The name meaning "renowned warrior," went on to become Prince William's third son's name. It's thought that the name was passed from Prince Philip's favorite uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten.
Meaning of the Name
George: The future King's name actually comes from that of a previous one: Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI.
Alexander: George's second name pays homage to the Queen, whose middle name is Alexandra. Kate reportedly loved the name Alexandra at the time, so if George was a girl, it's likely we'd know a Princess Alexandra.
Louis: Prince William passed along his fourth name to Prince George. Again, the moniker is likely a tribute to George's great grandfather's favorite uncle.
Meaning of the Name
Charlotte: The name is the female version of Charles, who is Prince William's father, and, coincidentally, the middle name of Kate Middleton's sister, Pippa Middleton.
Elizabeth: Charlotte's second moniker is a nod to not only the Queen, but also the Queen Mother.
Diana: Prince William wanted some way to pay tribute to his late mother Princess Diana, who tragically passed away in a car crash in Paris—luckily, he had a daughter to pass the name on to.
Meaning of the Name
Louis: The name holds a special meaning to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's family—all three males share it. It is likely that the moniker comes from Prince Philip's favorite uncle, Lord Louis of Mountbatten.
Arthur: The new royal baby shares his second name with both his father, Prince William and his grandfather, Prince Charles. The name could be a nod to the mythical King Arthur who was a well-known monarch in medieval times.
Charles: Prince Louis actually shares two names with his grandfather—Arthur and Charles.
Meaning of the Name
Henry: He's more commonly known as Prince Harry now, but that's just a nickname. Princess Diana and Prince Charles gave him the name Henry when he was born. Henry has German origins and means "estate ruler." (Harry means the same thing).
Charles: The name Charles was passed down to Prince Harry from his father, and he now shares the moniker with his nephew, Prince Louis.
Albert: This was what Prince Charles had envisioned calling his second son, but it was not what Princess Diana wanted, according to an interview published in the 1992 book, Diana: Her Story. Albert was the name given to Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI, at birth. (He chose George when he became monarch.)
David: The name David means "beloved," which Prince Harry and his soon-to-be-wife, Meghan Markle, have very much become in recent years. David was the seventh name given to former King Edward VIII—the Queen's uncle (better known as the Duke of Windsor).
Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor
Full Name: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor
Title: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex chose not to use courtesy titles, so Archie will not be known as the Earl of Dumbarton. He'll simply be "Master Archie."
Birthday: May 6, 2019
Parents: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, whose full name is actually Henry Charles Albert David.
Meaning of the Name
Archie: The name has a German origin and is usually the shortened version of Archibald, which means "bold" or "brave."
Harrison: The name is of Aboriginal origin and means "son of Henry" or "son of Harry."
Mountbatten-Windsor: This is the personal surname used by some of the descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Based off a declaration made in Privy Council in 1960, the name Mountbatten-Windsor is used to signify male descendants of the Queen without royal styles and titles.
Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor
Full Name: Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor
Title: By the time Lili was born, her parents had moved away from using their titles—even Prince Harry has asked people to refer to him as Harrybut if she so chooses, she can become a princess later in life.
Birthday: June 4, 2021
Parents: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
Meaning of the Name
Lilibet: A nod to Queen Elizabeth's name, though Harry and Meghan's daughter will be nicknamed "Lili."
Diana: In honor of Prince Harry's late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
Mountbatten-Windsor: As with Lili's brother, Archie, Lili will use the last name taken by many of the Queen and Philip's direct descendants.
Meaning of the Name
Andrew: As we saw played out in Netflix's The Crown, the Queen still had a decent relationship with her uncle, Edward VIII, though he gave up the throne, ultimately destining her to become the monarch. Despite his choices, she basically rearranged his name to create Prince Andrew's. Her uncle's full name was Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David. While we like that idea, it's more likely that they named their second son after Prince Philip's father who was Prince of Denmark and Greece.
Albert: Queen Victoria's husband was named Albert, as was Queen Elizabeth's father (reminder: he later went by George (his fourth name) when he became King).
Christian: Christian was the third name given to Andrew's great uncle King Edward VIII.
Edward: Again, this was the name of King George VI's brother, and it also ended up being the name of Andrew's younger brother.
Meaning of the Name
Beatrice: Prince Andrew and his now ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, named their first daughter Beatrice, which means "she who brings happiness."
Elizabeth: The Queen's second granddaughter was also given the famous name.
Mary: The princess actually shares two names with her grandmother—Elizabeth and Mary, both of which hold special meaning to King George VI. Not only was Mary of Teck, his mother, but he also had a sister named Mary.
Meaning of the Name
Eugenie: Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's second daughter was born as Eugenie, a name had been used in the royal family before, but not since Queen Victoria's granddaughter, Princess Victoria Eugenie.
Victoria: It seems that Andrew and Sarah merely swapped the order of the names of the late Princess Victoria Eugenie to get their second daughter's name. The name is still popular today, as we know many famous women with it—Victoria Woodhull and Victoria Beckham.
Helena: The moniker is of Greek origin, meaning "bright, shining light." It's still very much popular in today's culture thanks to Helena Bonham Carter and Helena Christensen.
Meaning of the Name
Edward: Queen Elizabeth's last child shares a name with his older brother Prince Andrew and her uncle, King Edward VIII who abdicated the throne to marry a divorced woman.
Anthony: According to Nameberry.com, the name Anthony means "priceless one."
Richard: Despite his very low chances of ever being the reigning monarch, Prince Edward's third name, Richard, means "dominant ruler."
Louis: Prince Edward also shares his fourth name with the new royal baby, as do Prince William and Prince George.
Meaning of the Name
James: When the Queen's youngest grandchild was born in 2007, he was given the name James which is the English version of Jacob, meaning "supplanter."
Alexander: James shares his second middle name with his cousin, Prince George. Alexandra is the Queen's second middle name, given to her likely for her great grandmother Princess Alexandra, who passed suddenly.
Philip: Despite his lower peerage title Viscount, James is still very much a royal and entitled to his grandfather's name.
Theo: According to the Nameberry.com, the name Theo means "divine gift," and it's currently rising in popularity in Europe.
Meaning of the Name
Louise: Lady Louise shares a very similar name to her new cousin, Prince Louis, both meaning "renowned warrior." Queen Elizabeth's father had a sister named Louise, Princess Royal.
Alice: Prince Edward's daughter actually shares three names with her Aunt Anne—Louise, Alice, and Elizabeth. The name Alice means something to both Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth's family. Princess Alice of Battenberg was Philip's mother and it was also the name of one of Queen Victoria's daughters who fought for women's issues.
Elizabeth: Yet, another granddaughter of the Queen was gifted with the name Elizabeth at birth.
Mary: Lady Louise shares her fourth name with the Queen and her cousin, Princess Beatrice—an ode to the Queen's grandmother.
Meaning of the Name
Anne: The name Anne is Hebrew, meaning "grace."
Elizabeth: The Queen passed her own (and her mother's) name on to her first—and only—daughter, but as her second name.
Alice: The moniker is one that comes from both Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth's family. Alice was the name of Philip's mother, and the name of Queen Victoria's daughter who lent herself to women's causes and nursing.
Louise: King George V—the Queen's grandfather—had a sister named Louise, who was similarly given the title Princess Royal, which is usually the highest honor a female royal family member can be granted.
Meaning of the Name
Peter: Peter's first name doesn't carry a meaning that relates to a royal title. Peter means "rock" in Greek, and it is also his father Mark Phillips' third name.
Mark: The Queen's oldest grandson actually shares two names with his father—Mark and Peter.
Andrew: The name Andrew is likely a nod to Prince Philip's father, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, or Anne's brother who is also a Prince Andrew.
Meaning of the Name
Zara: The children of the daughters of a reigning monarch are not granted royal titles, so the Princess Royal sneakily gave her daughter one by naming her Zara, which means "princess" in Hebrew. Zara is likely the most unique name in the family, as it was not passed to her from anyone.
Anne: The Princes Royal did however pass down her own name to her only daughter.
Elizabeth: Zara is the first granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth, and was therefore given the monarch's name as her third.
