Baby Cambridge: Potential Names and Godparents


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I am not sure why Caroline would be considered a snobbish gesture. IMO it would honor both Charles and Carole, so it does stand a chance IMO.

Indeed. It's also been the name of Queen Consort, so is certainly regal enough. I don't understand the remark about snobbery either.
 
It is a reference to the fact that many people look down on the Middleton's (not right in my opinion) including a raft of people who are middle/working class themselves who dont like to see someone do well. Naming a future queen after Carole Middleton would be a gesture against such people.

Also it would be honoring Charles and I know that.

I like Carole and I think it would be a great thing to do, but I dont suppose it will happen.
 
That might apply if the name chosen was Carole, but the name under discussion is Caroline which occurs in the BRF.
 
That might apply if the name chosen was Carole, but the name under discussion is Caroline which occurs in the BRF.

That would be Caroline of Brunswick, married to George IV. From what I've read, it was not the happiest of unions.
 
That would be Caroline of Brunswick, married to George IV. From what I've read, it was not the happiest of unions.

True, but there is also Caroline of Ansbach, consort of George II.
 
I can see it being very traditional english name

Boy - George or Philip or Arthur or David
Girl - Victoria or Elizabeth or Mary or Alexandra

If is a girl im entirely convinced Elizabeth will feature whether as first or a middle name - not only to honour the Queen but also the QM and not forgetting its Kate's middle name as well. If they do decide to honour Diana i can see them using Francis instead (but i could see Harry's child bearing his late mothers name more then William's)

Godparent suggestions
I am thinking very close friends of the couple rather than prominet foreign royals
So my guesses include (obviously not all these people for one child) are Hugh or Rose Van Custem, Tom Inskip, Jamie Murray Wells, Mark Dyer, Tiggy Pettifer, Emilia d'Erlanger, Thomas van Straubenzee, a Middleton cousin or another close friend of Kates. And maybe someone like Serena Linley or Autumn or Peter Phillips. A Spencer cousin - one of Sarah or Jane's children
 
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The only wee problem I see with Caroline as a name is that there is already a well-publicized Princess Caroline of Monaco. But that would be a problem mainly for the press, having to further identify which Caroline they were reporting on. Otherwise, no problem. Cecelia Caroline would be nice. She might be referred to as CeCe, but that's kind of cute for a little gal or teen, and of course she would have the whole name in use, not a nick-name, when she became queen.
Cecelia Caroline Charlotte Rose (the Rose being for princess Diana). That's a very fancy name which would look good inside flourishes on invitations, with roses and nosegays all over. Very "period". Why not?
 
If they press doesn't have a problem with all the famous Kate's out there, they will have no problem with Caroline
 
That would be Caroline of Brunswick, married to George IV. From what I've read, it was not the happiest of unions.

There is Caroline of Ansbach, the wife of George II. She was a widely mourned queen, by both Jaccobite and Protestant citizens. Her appeal, her gentle attitude and pure life, helped to turn around a bad public opinion of her husband and father in law.

Her daughter Princess Caroline was known to be fair, gentle and well loved by her family. She died single at 44, having been in love with a married man. She was considered the peace keeper of her family.

George III's daughter was Caroline Mathilda, queen of Denmark. Though she was imprisoned for her affair and known to plot against her husband, she was known for her charity work and care of children, during her later life in Celle.

Caroline, wife of George IV was definitely an unhappy marriage and she spent much of her life in exile.

Caroline though is also the Latin form of Charles.
 
Caroline of Monaco doesn't have much of a profile in the UK. I doubt that more than a very small minority would know who she is, so I don't think that would be a problem.
 
The only wee problem I see with Caroline as a name is that there is already a well-publicized Princess Caroline of Monaco. But that would be a problem mainly for the press, having to further identify which Caroline they were reporting on. Otherwise, no problem. Cecelia Caroline would be nice. She might be referred to as CeCe, but that's kind of cute for a little gal or teen, and of course she would have the whole name in use, not a nick-name, when she became queen.
Cecelia Caroline Charlotte Rose (the Rose being for princess Diana). That's a very fancy name which would look good inside flourishes on invitations, with roses and nosegays all over. Very "period". Why not?

It doesn't bother me, if the name is already used by another royal house. Especially if different generations. It would seem odder if they were the same generation, and both would be queen.

Ingrid, Catharina, Leonor (Eleanor), Elisabeth, Estelle, would be avoided IMO, though Ingrid and Estelle wouldn't be on the list IMO anyways.

But if we are going to avoide names already used in royal circles, like Caroline, we will have to take a number of top contenders off:

Charlotte: Caroline's daughter
Elizabeth: Elisabeth is a form, future queen of Belgium
Alexandra: ued in a few place including Ingrid Alexandra, and Caroline's daughter
Sophie/a: Sofia, a form, name of queen of spain and one of her granddaughters
Leonor/Eleanor: used in both Belgium and Spain
William: Guiilliame is a form, hereditary grand duke of Luxembourg, and soon t be king of Netherlands Wilhelm
Philip: two crown princes have a form of it (spain and Belgium)
Alexander: second name of soon to be king of the Netherlands
 
If it's a girl and they name her Elizabeth, in the future, Europe will have Queen Elizabeth III of the United Kingdom and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium.

I don't see any problem, there are, currently, two Alberts II, and no one gets confused.
 
Why do people keep associating the name Rose with Diana? Just because Elton John sang that reworked song at her funeral seems a pretty gruesome reason to give the name to a daughter.
 
I picked Rose for the Queen's sister; Princess Margaret Rose, not because of Elton John's song. That didn't even cross my mind.
 
Why do people keep associating the name Rose with Diana? Just because Elton John sang that reworked song at her funeral seems a pretty gruesome reason to give the name to a daughter.

I agree totally. Diana was not associated with that name at all while she was alive.
 
I see your point NGalitzine. Maybe would be better to just use Diana or Frances instead of Rose, except that I like Rose so much as a name, without association to Diana necessarily. Cepe has suggested Charlotte Rose as a name many times, and it's nice.
Margaret Rose was very nice too. I was responding, in the name I last suggested, to the discussion about using Carole or Caroline. I agree that it would be nice to honor Catherine's mother. Catherine's mother's middle name is Frances, too, I have read here, but using a middle name is not quite as honorific as using the first name.
It would be all right it they just went ahead and used the two first names of the grandma's: Diana Carole. But I'd prefer to start out with a fresh name like Cecilia, followed by the honorifics, like Cecilia Diana Carole. I think 3 names is actually adequate, especially if the name is fresh, like Cecilia.
 
Carole's middle name is Elizabeth. Her dad middle name is Francis
 
I really think Elizabeth Victoria Diana Carole is the best option.
 
I really think Elizabeth Victoria Diana Carole is the best option.

I will be so bummed if they use Elizabeth as a first name. The queen is wonderful, but no need to keep repeating the same name. I'm fine with Elizabeth as a middle name but I will be really disappointed if they use either Elizabeth or Victoria as the first name.
 
Me too, Hermione. I do not want reissue of Elizabeth or Victoria. A little creativity is needed to have a fresh first name. We on this thread have come up with a list of creative but dignified and significant names which would not be so repetitive. Names like Charlotte, Caroline, Cecilia, Alice, Timothy, Robert, Richard, David and many more. I've probably forgotten some good suggestions here, just listed a few I remember which we have discussed, which have not been overused in modern times. Even Genevieve would actually be a regal name although I don't remember a royal connection. It just sounds regal, doesn't it? My friend who named her daughter Genevieve did so to have a nice-sounding name that was not common and which was a "saint's name" and thus traditional.
 
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I agree with you both. But I'm not a fan of naming children after living family members. Especially in a family that famous. It only makes it harder for the child to form it's own identity if it's constantly compared to someone else. I'd rather they go for a lesser used name like Charlotte, Elanor, Georgiana. And imo it doesn't have to be a name formerly used by a queen or a princess. I think I can remember people here saying people didn't think Victoria was a proper name for a queen and look now...
 
But I'm not a fan of naming children after living family members. Especially in a family that famous. It only makes it harder for the child to form it's own identity if it's constantly compared to someone else.

I'm not sure if I entirely agree here. Perhaps if you're named after an uncle or share a name with a cousin (particularly one close in age) - which is why I don't think James, Louise, Caroline, or Charlotte should be used - but I don't think people named after living grandparents or great grandparents necessarily have a hard time forming their own identity. Children don't think of grandparents by their given names, they think of them as "Granny" or "Grandad." The same goes with parents, really - until a certain age you think of your parents as "Mom" and "Dad" and don't necessarily realize that they have another name.
 
I'm not sure if I entirely agree here. Perhaps if you're named after an uncle or share a name with a cousin (particularly one close in age) - which is why I don't think James, Louise, Caroline, or Charlotte should be used - but I don't think people named after living grandparents or great grandparents necessarily have a hard time forming their own identity. Children don't think of grandparents by their given names, they think of them as "Granny" or "Grandad." The same goes with parents, really - until a certain age you think of your parents as "Mom" and "Dad" and don't necessarily realize that they have another name.

I partly meant in the public eye. Kids at some point start reading newspapers, they watch the news and I can't imagine how irritating it must be if your name is Elizabeth or Diana and you're constantly compared to your grandmother or greatgrandmother. Especially when those papers and other outlets would keep saying how the other person did things better. Look at Kate and Diana. I know it would start frustating me at some point. With someone who's been dead longer (like Victoria) that risk is smaller.
 
I think if the Cambridge baby is a girl then she's going to end up being compared to Elizabeth, Diana, and Catherine regardless of her actual name - although I do see your point in regards to the name thing. Personally, if it's a girl I would rather see the name be Mary, Matilda, or Victoria simply because of the time and distance and the fact that it would, at least in terms of name alone, result in less comparison.
 
For most people, the names of a baby's grandparents are usually seen as terribly dated and unfashionable. It is the names of the parents' grandparents that are often chosen, and these are the names that are beginning to come back into fashion.

This is a bit of a generalisation, of course, but I doubt many young mothers would choose Carol for a daughter - it's a very 1950s name, and its time has not yet come round again. Diana is a different case, as I don't think it's ever been particularly in or out of fashion. It does not seem to have enjoyed a surge in popularity during the 1980s and 90s as one might have expected.
 
my parents named me something they didn't think anyone else would have, and I have only met one other person with my name in my lifetime. It has made me feel very "different" and sometimes caused pain, but on the other hand, when I sign my first name, everyone knows it's me! A name like Cecelia would be good because it's not common and the Princess could sign her name and everyone would know who it was...not a grandma, not a mom, not a cousin, not an aunt...and yet she wouldn't have to spell it every time, as I do. There are other names we've discussed which are also somewhat rare but not so rare that people wouldn't pronounce it right. That's the ticket.
 
A name like Cecelia would be good because it's not common and the Princess could sign her name and everyone would know who it was...not a grandma, not a mom, not a cousin, not an aunt...and yet she wouldn't have to spell it every time, as I do.

She would have to spell it, because I doubt that I am the only one who is more familiar with the spelling Cecilia.

Anyway I think "Princess Cecilia" sounds awful. Even if you don't have a lisp.:lol:
 
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I can't wait until July to discover the name and gender of this baby. It's going to be something so predictable I imagine, but that doesn't bother me as the baby is a future Monarch so predictable/traditional is acceptable.

I don't like it when children are named after living relatives. For example, there was three Prince Edward's in the Royal Family at the same time (Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and young Prince Edward, future Earl of Wessex). I know they were likely never confused or mixed up but I am not a fan. For this reason I don't see a Prince James because of James Middleton and Viscount Severn. The same for Louise and possibly Charlotte as William's youngest cousin is called Lady Charlotte Spencer, though I do LOVE the idea of Princess Charlotte. I sort of hope that is their choice, but I can't imagine it will be.

I imagine William and Catherine are finding this very hard as they have a lot of people to please with the name (Queen, his parents and the general public because if the name is something outrageous and trendy the public's opinions will be very loud and clear. We know the family want to get their public opinions more positive so anything to keep them in their good side.)
 
Sometime people gave their kid a name because they like it, not necessarily after their living relative.

If they like the name James, they should go for it.
 
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