Royal Baby’s Name Revealed by Kate Middleton and Prince William – See the Significance

On Tuesday, when the royal couple debuted their newborn son in front of the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in London, Prince William said they were “still working on a name,” while the Palace said the name would be “announced in due course.”

Many believed the name would not be announced for at least a week, since Princess Diana did not announce her William’s name in 1982 until one week after he was born. However, when Prince Harry was born two years later, his name was announced as part of the official note hung outside of Buckingham Palace.

Few hours after Queen Elizabeth II paid a visit to the couple's Kensington Palace home to meet her grandson, Kate Middleton and Prince William revealed their baby name via a statement through Kensington Palace on Wednesday.

The palace statement read:

 “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son George Alexander Louis. The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.” 

The Surname:

According to the royal family website, the couple could decide the baby’s surname will be Wales, as William often goes by William Wales, based on his father’s title, Charles Prince of Wales. Option two: The baby could adopt the Cambridge surname, taken from the royal house in which his parents, William and Kate, live. Or, finally, the biggest mouthful of them all, Mountbatten-Windsor, which would make the baby’s full name… His Royal Highness, Prince George Alexander Louis Mountbatten-Windsor of Cambridge.

Significance:

The royal baby will commonly be known as Prince George. George was the name of Queen Elizabeth’s father, who died when she was just 26 years old. So the royal baby is named after his great-great-grandfather- coincidence?

According to Pamela Redmond Satran, co-founder of the baby naming website Nameberry, there have been more kings named George in the past three centuries than any kings of any other name.

 “It’s a regal choice and approropriate for the royal baby,” she says. "And of course the name Cambridge is fitting since his parents are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge."

The baby’s middle names hold significance, too. According to Nameberry, if the baby had been born a girl, Alexandra was the number one choice, so it makes sense that the male version—Alexander—was chosen, and the name Louis was likely chosen to commemorate Lord Louis Mountbatten, a close friend and mentor of Prince Charles who was assassinated by Irish terrorists in 1979."