Baby Cambridge: Potential Names and Godparents


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As I've stated above, I'm 99.99% sure that the first name of Baby Cambridge will be a traditional royal name borne by a previous Sovereign of the UK or post-Norman Conquest England. For a girl: Elizabeth, (most likely IMO) Victoria, Mary or Anne. For a boy George, (most likely, again IMO) Charles, Henry, Edward, William, Richard or James (least likely because of young Lord Severn). They could also choose a name previously only borne by a King of Scots, which would add Alexander, Donald, Duncan, David, Robert, Edgar, Malcolm or Constantine. (I'm not including the more unusual Lulach, MacBeth, Dub, etc.) Other family or favorite names will then be used after the traditional Sovereign's name - here's where we'll see Philip, Michael, Carol, Diana, Frances, etc. This future sovereign will not be "HM ___ ___ the First". :king: :queen:

Don't forget Stephen and even Matilda.

Well,it´s not a problem for English speakers,but for German and French nationals I have huge doubts they would turn it into something sounding really gruesome-we have a Jacqueline in our neighbourhood-very pretty French name and she constantly gets called "Chuckie" or "Tschacklin" (writing as it is pronounced) and it makes my ears and heart bleed everytime I encounter a name being pronounced wrongly:sad:
Just listen to Liza Minelli and her song "Liza with a Z" on youtube!

Consider:Liza Minelli is a very simple name yet there are so many ways to mis-pronounce it,that´s why I am hoping for a clear,proper name that can´t be mispronounced or will be abbrivated into something ugly!
Like some ppl call Charlotte from Monaco "Char":eek:
Such an extremely beautiful name butchered like that...
Or not that terrible but sad as well-Catherine who is always called "Kate"-nothing wrong with Kate,but it´s not her name and Catherine sounds so much more dignified in my ears...
Pretty and not butcherable names would be (if we take some from the already proposed name list)e.g. Carole or Alice!Short,simple,beautiful:flowers:

The names that you're saying have been "butchered" are simply nicknames. Catherine went by Kate for many years - probably by choice - before her marriage. She probably still goes by Kate within her family, much like William has been called Will or Wills at points in his life.
 
The names that you're saying have been "butchered" are simply nicknames. Catherine went by Kate for many years - probably by choice - before her marriage. She probably still goes by Kate within her family, much like William has been called Will or Wills at points in his life.

But many many people dislike nicknames.

I always did; I never saw the point of giving someone a name and then calling that person something else!
 
But many many people dislike nicknames.

I always did; I never saw the point of giving someone a name and then calling that person something else!

Which is fine for your own name :) But some, like me, enjoy having a nickname. My real name is long and a bit too grand for a child. I reclaimed my full name when I grew up, and my nickname is still used by my family and those close to me.

It provides some flexibility. I can choose what I want people to call me.
 
Well,it´s not a problem for English speakers,but for German and French nationals I have huge doubts they would turn it into something sounding really gruesome-we have a Jacqueline in our neighbourhood-very pretty French name and she constantly gets called "Chuckie" or "Tschacklin" (writing as it is pronounced) and it makes my ears and heart bleed everytime I encounter a name being pronounced wrongly:sad:
Just listen to Liza Minelli and her song "Liza with a Z" on youtube!

Consider:Liza Minelli is a very simple name yet there are so many ways to mis-pronounce it,that´s why I am hoping for a clear,proper name that can´t be mispronounced or will be abbrivated into something ugly!
Like some ppl call Charlotte from Monaco "Char":eek:
Such an extremely beautiful name butchered like that...
Or not that terrible but sad as well-Catherine who is always called "Kate"-nothing wrong with Kate,but it´s not her name and Catherine sounds so much more dignified in my ears...
Pretty and not butcherable names would be (if we take some from the already proposed name list)e.g. Carole or Alice!Short,simple,beautiful:flowers:

That's the difference between English speakers and non-English speakers. We English speakers love our "nicknames" One of my sons has a nickname, and he is angry when teachers occasionally call him by "that name", i.e., the name on his birth certificate. LOL.

When I was pregnant, Katherine was one of the names on my list for a girl, and we would have called her Kate. This was 12 years ago, well before we were aware of any Kate Middleton.

I know an "Alice" and her family called her "Allie." Again, we English speakers love our nicknames, and never underestimate our ability to "butcher" a name. :flowers:
 
If parents decide to call their child by an abbreviation of their given name, ie Harry instead of Henry, I don't think that's a nickname - that's his name, what he is known as. "Shorty" is a nickname; so is "Dusty", "Chalky" etc. In the UK, some these tend to go with surnames, ie Chalky White. Just my view.
 
Essentially, your name is what you want to be called.

Take the Queen for example. She's Lillibet to her closest friends. I bet she thinks of that as her "name"
 
But many many people dislike nicknames.

I always did; I never saw the point of giving someone a name and then calling that person something else!

I'm the opposite: I prefer that people have "full" first names rather than be given a name like Liz or Kate at birth. IMO, better to be called Elizabeth or Catherine, and shorten it if you like. As HRHHermione said, it provides flexibility. I know many people who change what they're called at some point in their lives - i.e., some use a nickname as a child and their full name when they reach adulthood, or vice versa.
 
Essentially, your name is what you want to be called.

Take the Queen for example. She's Lillibet to her closest friends. I bet she thinks of that as her "name"

Is the Queen still Lillibet to close friends? I always thought that was more a family pet name that she would have left behind as an adult. I know that when I was a kid my dad had special nicknames for each of us, but when we got older they got used less and less to the point that now they only come out on the rare occasion.

I'm the opposite: I prefer that people have "full" first names rather than be given a name like Liz or Kate at birth. IMO, better to be called Elizabeth or Catherine, and shorten it if you like. As HRHHermione said, it provides flexibility. I know many people who change what they're called at some point in their lives - i.e., some use a nickname as a child and their full name when they reach adulthood, or vice versa.

I agree completely. It also makes a difference for work. I typically go by an abbreviated version of my full name (Ish) when with friends and family, but I use my full name at work and school. I used to work with a guy whose parents had given him a legal name nickname - Jamie - but went by James at work because he thought that for work purposes it was more professional - and it made things difficult when he got a paycheque with a name different from his legal one.
 
:previous: I could be wrong, but I think her nickname of Lillibet stuck (unfortunately I'm not sure how many of her close friends are still alive - one of the downsides of living so long.)
 
:previous: I could be wrong, but I think her nickname of Lillibet stuck (unfortunately I'm not sure how many of her close friends are still alive - one of the downsides of living so long.)

The Duke of Edinburgh, Her cousin and a few friends from childhood, are the only alive who still calls Her Majesty "Lilibet".

The Duke of Edinburgh also call her "cabbage".
 
GracieGiraffe said:
When I was pregnant, Katherine was one of the names on my list for a girl, and we would have called her Kate. This was 12 years ago, well before we were aware of any Kate Middleton

Several years from now, when the time is right for me to have children (I'm not even in a relationship right now), my firstborn daughter (not necessarily my firstborn child) will be named Katherine Anne (middle name of course after the current Princess Royal), and she will be known as Katie.
 
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Several years from now, when the time is right for me to have children (I'm not even in a relationship right now), my firstborn daughter (not necessarily my firstborn child) will be named Katherine Anne (middle name of course after the current Princess Royal), and she will be known as Katie.

So the father of your child will have no input in the name?
 
So the father of your child will have no input in the name?

*eyeroll*

Everyone thinks about what their future looks like, and that shifts and changes appropriately when need be, but that's no reason why someone shouldn't dream and think ahead.
 
So the father of your child will have no input in the name?

No offence to any males here, but if I'm doing all the "work" then the least he can give me is naming my child. Although in Sarah's case it's hardly surprising.

Regarding nicknames, I hate them. The situation Henry is in is ridiculous in my opinion. I have a friend who I met in college, everyone calls him Josh. I believe that to be his name until someone told me he's actually called Jack and everyone just calls him Josh. Makes no sense to me to have two names.

Catherine is a lovely name, Kate/Katie is a suitable family nickname or shortening for when she was young IMO.
 
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That's the difference between English speakers and non-English speakers. We English speakers love our "nicknames" One of my sons has a nickname, and he is angry when teachers occasionally call him by "that name", i.e., the name on his birth certificate. LOL.

When I was pregnant, Katherine was one of the names on my list for a girl, and we would have called her Kate. This was 12 years ago, well before we were aware of any Kate Middleton.

I know an "Alice" and her family called her "Allie." Again, we English speakers love our nicknames, and never underestimate our ability to "butcher" a name. :flowers:

Well,that´s true-I think Catherine feels comfortable with her nickname but I know for sure (I have read that in a biography) that Jacqueline Kennedy didn´t approve of being called "Jackie" because she thought it sounds like a male.
In fact,my last dog was a male and we called him "Jackie",so I can understand her reasoning.I constantly get post with my family name written wrong and I always have to spell out my surname even though it only has 5 letters....

Anyway, just like LauraS3514, I almost certainly expect them to give a very traditional name-at least to the first baby so Frances is clearly out of the race;-)

BTW-I like the name Harry even though it´s a shorty from Henry,but somehow it sounds more appropriate and fresh for the Prince!
 
No offence to any males here, but if I'm doing all the "work" then the least he can give me is naming my child. Although in Sarah's case it's hardly surprising.

Completely agree with you-who is doing most of the work?Who is having pregnancy sickness,who is constrained in his movements and activity because of the baby,who has to constantly think about what to eat (wrong food can make you gazzy or the child feel unwell),who has to be strictly anti-alcoholic,no cigarettes etc. (not that this is a bad thing-I am non-smoker but for many ppl a life without their cigarettes is hard)....
who is going through the difficult delivery process that is not only painful but also can lead to death or health problems of the mother?(In Western countries we have great doctors and health care,but in poor nations an awful lot of women die in childbed!) Sometimes women have to battle with PND or the excessive baby weight that makes them feel uncomfortable in their body...and who is giving milk,who is doing most of the work of raising the children traditionally?
So I think that it is very clear women have earned a prerogrative in naming the child!
The man usually gives his family name,it is only fair that women chose the first one (of course in agreement with the men,but they should have the last say)!
Also it is normal to think about how you would name your kids even when you are single and childless-we did that even in Kindergarten,so it´s a natural thing for women to imagine how they would call their baby:D
 
I am of the opinion that naming a baby is a joint operation between both mother and father as parenting is a partnership. In most cases though that I'm aware of, usually the father isn't overly picky when it comes to picking a name or shopping for the layette or any of the little things that come with preparing for a child. They are the ones that beam ear to ear though when the child arrives and puff out their chests with pride and even sometimes are afraid to hold the wee one as they're afraid they might break them.

With my oldest son, he was named after his grandfathers which also gave us 3 Roberts alive in the immediate family (hubby was named after HIS grandfather Robert). Grandpa was Bob, Hubby was Rob and my son as a kid was Robbie Pat as some childhood friends and family still called Hubby Robbie. My son turns 40 today and its been years since he's been called his childhood nickname. With me, as a kid I was called Debbie and I totally hate that name now. My full name is Deborah and to me its too formal and most would spell it Debra. I prefer Deb. I think its all how a family sees their child and how the child itself likes to be called when an adult.

With William and Kate, they do have to consider that their child will one day be the monarch. The name is most likely something that they are working together on and perhaps even have agreed on. The child may be known in the family by a nickname such as Wombat (and later on Combat Wombat) but for all purposes, this child's name is something I do think they're taking seriously.

I tend to lean to the idea that they will give their child a name unique to this child. Perhaps traditional, perhaps not but not a name that can be construed as "named after". Like Georgiana or Alexander. It will be unique to the child.
 
The Duke of Edinburgh, Her cousin and a few friends from childhood, are the only alive who still calls Her Majesty "Lilibet".

The Duke of Edinburgh also call her "cabbage".

I'm sure her niece & nephew call her "Aunt Lilibet".:flowers:
 
I think names in general are more important to one partner than the other. Some husbands have full input, others have only veto power. My husband really only exercised veto power.

Given Will and Kate's position and the import of this child, I would think Will has a great deal of input. And given the fact that they are truly limited in their name choices, I would not be surprised if their little one has some sort of nickname, which is something over which the couple truly have carte blanche.

For example, they might feel it right to name a baby "George" for whatever reason, but give him a nickname which gives them a greater private, personalized touch. Example, Edward VIII was called "David".

If the name "Diana" is frowned upon by Queen, etc as a choice of first name, there is nothing to stop Will and Kate from giving a girl a string of regal BRF names, tucking Diana onto the end, and then calling her Diana at home. If I were this couple, and I really wanted to honor my mother, this is what I would do.

Do Will and Kate read this forum? :whistling:
 
I really hope they name the baby a modern sort of name and not like Philip or Louise.
 
I really hope they name the baby a modern sort of name and not like Philip or Louise.

I get how Louise isn't typical in modern times (and I would think it's unlikely to be the name, as that's the name of Edward's daughter), but how is Philip out dated?
 
I really hope they name the baby a modern sort of name and not like Philip or Louise.

This baby is a future Monarch, he or she will be a link between modern Britain and the country's glorious past.

Baby Cambridge will, for sure, have a very traditional name.

I'm really betting on a King George VIII (supposing Prince Charles will be George VII) or on a Queen Elizabeth III.
 
I really hope they name the baby a modern sort of name and not like Philip or Louise.

I have asked several times but have yet to get an explanation as to what is considered a "modern" name, aside from Blue Ivy, Brooklyn, Lemon or Apple. What exactly do you consider modern names, especially when this child could be a future monarch of the UK?
 
I have asked several times but have yet to get an explanation as to what is considered a "modern" name, aside from Blue Ivy, Brooklyn, Lemon or Apple. What exactly do you consider modern names, especially when this child could be a future monarch of the UK?

Modern = not Biblical or otherwise historical .... at least, that's how I've always defined it. For example, Alison, Derek, Melissa, Karen, Linda, and Cheryl are all rather modern names, but I can't see a Queen Linda or a King Derek, can you? You could also throw in Caitlin, Brianna, Cody, Aislyn, Brady, Sierra, and Ashton in there as well. Those are all the names of students in my sister's 7th grade Language Arts class.

I'd consider modern to be any name that didn't appear with regularity before 1950.
 
^^^^^
I cannot see anyone with one of those names ever wearing St Edwards Crown.
 
^^^^^
I cannot see anyone with one of those names ever wearing St Edwards Crown.

The point is, they won't. You'll never see a Queen Caitlin, not in the UK and not anywhere else. Someone said they wanted to see the baby given a more modern name, you asked for someone to specify what a modern name is, and I rattled off a list of some to demonstrate how absolutely unlikely it will be for it to happen. Maybe they both might secretly like the name Ashton for example (which can be given to a boy or a girl), but I'm pretty sure they're both aware that it's not suitable for their child.
 
Modern = not Biblical or otherwise historical .... at least, that's how I've always defined it. For example, Alison, Derek, Melissa, Karen, Linda, and Cheryl are all rather modern names, but I can't see a Queen Linda or a King Derek, can you? You could also throw in Caitlin, Brianna, Cody, Aislyn, Brady, Sierra, and Ashton in there as well. Those are all the names of students in my sister's 7th grade Language Arts class.

I'd consider modern to be any name that didn't appear with regularity before 1950.

Alison was a common name in the Middle Ages. Derek came into English usage in the 15th century, Melissa is a name from Greek mythology and has been an English given name since the 18th century. Karen is a Danish variation of Katherine that has gained popularity in the English world since the 1940s. Linda is a medieval short form of Germanic names that end in "linde." Caitlin is an anglicized form of the Irish form of Katherine, Brianna is the Irish feminine version of Brian. Cody and Brady come from old Irish names, Ashton is an Old English word turned surname turned given name.

"Modern" names in my understanding can be one of two variants - either names that are probably very old but still common in everyday use (ie Katherine, Elizabeth, John, etc) or names that you didn't see at all before the 20th century (ie Jayden, Ashlynn, etc).
 
I really hope they name the baby a modern sort of name and not like Philip or Louise.

Louise wont be used anyway as the child would be too close in age to Lady Louise Windsor, Edward's daughter. The same for James, which many people are keen to see be used as Viscount Severn is only 5.5 years older than the baby. You can safely say those names wont be used, except perhaps as middle names.

I agree that we will never see a "trendy" name for the future Monarch. I also don't think they will repeat family history traditions of giving their child a few names and choosing to use their 3rd or 4th name to refer them as. For example, I don't think that if the child were a girl and she was called Elizabeth Carole Sophie Charlotte, we wouldn't see her go by the name Charlotte and use Elizabeth when she becomes Queen. I think the child's first name will be the name we know them as and the name they use as Monarch. (That's part of the reason why I don't think Charles will be George VII, simply because the public know him as Charles...)
 
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