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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge name the Royal princess Charlotte!
After months of speculation, the name of the newborn Princess has been revealed! Kate and Williams's baby name pick is Charlotte! In honour of the birth of her Royal Highness, BabyCentre experts have unearthed the most important facts about the name.
- According to BabyCentre's 2014 list of the top baby names, Charlotte was the 17th most popular name last year, up seven places from 2013 when it ranked 24th.
- The name Charlotte has a long Royal heritage. England’s Queen Charlotte was the wife of George III. The couple also had a daughter they named Charlotte.
- Charlotte is the feminine version of the name Charles, meaning ‘free man’.
- Other famous and noteworthy namesakes of baby Charlotte include esteemed English writer Charlotte Bronte and Welsh musician Charlotte Church.
Surprisingly, popularity of the name Charlotte is expected to fall following the announcement. Sasha Miller, International Managing Editor of BabyCentre comments:
"It's a lovely name but we're expecting to see fewer babies being called Charlotte in the coming months. Parents don't want to be labelled as having been influenced by others in their baby name choice, particularly by such a high-profile family. That was a pattern we saw very clearly after the birth of Charlotte’s older brother in 2013; the name George quickly dipped in popularity in BabyCentre’s naming charts. New parents who had been thinking of naming their baby Charlotte, may well now be thinking again."
Charlotte
- Feminine version of Charles, meaning ‘free man’
- Middle name of Pippa Middleton
- England's Queen Charlotte was the wife of George III. The couple also had a daughter they named Charlotte.
- No.17 in BabyCentre’s 2014 girls’ names chart, up 7 places.
Elizabeth
- Meaning ‘pledged to God’
- Elizabeth is the name of Prince William's grandmother. It's also Kate's middle name, and is her mother Carole's middle name too.
- No.31 in BabyCentre’s chart, up 17 places
Diana
- Meaning ‘divine’
- William famously gave Kate the engagement ring that once belonged to his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
- No.414 in BabyCentre’s 2014 girls’ names chart
If you'd like to speak with one of our experts for additional insight on the royal baby's name, of find out facts about the names Elizabeth or Diana, do get in touch. BabyCentre annually produces a top baby names list, our 2014 data is based on the names of 56,157 babies born during the year to mums registered on BabyCentre.co.uk. You can see the full 2014 list here.