The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced the birth of their second child, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
The couple’s daughter was born in California on Friday morning and is now “settling in at home”. Her middle name is one that royal-watchers had speculated was a likely choice, as a way of honouring Prince Harry’s mother.
It is tradition that the royal family shrouds possible names for their children in secrecy.
This was still the case for the Sussexes, even though they are no longer working members of the royal family,
Here's everything you need to know about the most popular royal family names:
What are the favourite names for male royal babies?
Albert is the most popular name for male members of the family.
The name was bestowed on Queen Elizabeth II's great-great grandfather, Prince Albert.
Since Queen Victoria's birth in 1819, there have been a total of 12 royal babies named Albert in the family.
George, Charles, and Edward take places two, three and four on the list with 10, eight, and seven royals given the name, respectively.
What are the favourite names for female royal babies?
If the new baby is a girl, there is a chance it will be named Victoria, a moniker that has been bestowed upon nine royal babies over the last 200 years, and the name of Prince Harry's great-great-great grandmother Queen Victoria.
Other popular names include Mary, of which there have been seven babies named, and Louise, and Alexandra, which are tied with six royals each given the name.
The name Mary has historical significance as it was the name of the Queen's grandmother, Queen Mary.
The first-time parents may also choose Elizabeth, after the baby's grandmother.
In addition to the name of four other royals including the current reigning monarch, Elizabeth is also Princess Charlotte's middle name.
There is also the possibility the royal couple will opt for a name with no royal history, as predictions surrounding the newest royal's name have included the names Grace, Sofia, and Spencer.
The list of popular names in British royalty over the last two centuries was compiled by Expedia, according to the BBC.
The full list is below:
The most common royal male names
Albert (12)
George (10)
Charles (8)
Edward (7)
Christian (5)
Frederick (5)
Louis (5)
Arthur (5)
William (4)
Henry (4)
The most common royal female names:
Victoria (9)
Mary (7)
Louise (6)
Alexandra (6)
Elizabeth (5)
Alice (4)
Margaret (3)
Charlotte (3)
Augusta (2)
Helena (2)
