The Queen’s great grand children
So like a lot of people I’m paying attention to the English Royal family these days and I thought her great grand children have an interesting array of names:
GIRLS:
Savannah
Isla
Charlotte
Lilibet
Mia
Lena
Sienna
BOYS:
George
Louis
Archie
August
Lucas
“And I wish there was a treaty we could sign
I do not care who takes this bloody hill
I'm angry and I'm tired all the time
I wish there was a treaty,
I wish there was a treaty
Between your love and mine”
Leonard Cohen
GIRLS:
Savannah
Isla
Charlotte
Lilibet
Mia
Lena
Sienna
BOYS:
George
Louis
Archie
August
Lucas
“And I wish there was a treaty we could sign
I do not care who takes this bloody hill
I'm angry and I'm tired all the time
I wish there was a treaty,
I wish there was a treaty
Between your love and mine”
Leonard Cohen
Replies
Some of these, especially among the great-granddaughters, are unexpectedly modern. I (vaguely) remember when Savannah was born people were surprised by the name - and looking up the kids, Isla (very trendy) is her younger sister. Not a fan of Isla at all, but I do like Savannah quite a bit, and prefer it to the similar, more traditional Susannah (though I much prefer the no-H spelling, Savanna).
Charlotte is lovely but, at this point, overused as a first name, so I could never use it myself in that capacity. (Felicity Charlotte is a stock combo for me, though sometimes I fret that Charlotte looks "filler" even there.) Sienna I like, and initially I thought she was Savannah's sister since it's the same vibe. Mia and Lena don't feel like full names to me, and Lilibet just doesn't look or sound like a real name at all. Sorry.
Setting my personal, intense dislike of the entire family of "George names" aside (the repetitious "dzh" sound grinds my gears), it's not an objectionable name on its own, and honestly expected as an heir to the crown. I like Lucas (though I prefer Luke), and Louis is a good name even though it's strikingly French for the English royal family. Never did care for August (even though it's my birth month), and I just cannot hop on the Archie bandwagon.
Charlotte is lovely but, at this point, overused as a first name, so I could never use it myself in that capacity. (Felicity Charlotte is a stock combo for me, though sometimes I fret that Charlotte looks "filler" even there.) Sienna I like, and initially I thought she was Savannah's sister since it's the same vibe. Mia and Lena don't feel like full names to me, and Lilibet just doesn't look or sound like a real name at all. Sorry.
Setting my personal, intense dislike of the entire family of "George names" aside (the repetitious "dzh" sound grinds my gears), it's not an objectionable name on its own, and honestly expected as an heir to the crown. I like Lucas (though I prefer Luke), and Louis is a good name even though it's strikingly French for the English royal family. Never did care for August (even though it's my birth month), and I just cannot hop on the Archie bandwagon.
I recently did a poll on this maybe a week or so ago. The favorites were George among the boys, Charlotte among the girls. No surprise there. 😊
My favorites are Savannah (doesn't sound very royal, but I love it!) Isla, Charlotte & Lucas. (Again, not royal-esque, but doesn't have to me since further down the line of succession.
I don't care for the names of Harry and Meghan's very much. Lilibet sounds infantile and strange, but I understand why it was used. At least there's lili/lily to fall back on. Poor Archie doesn't really have that option. Arch? It's easily my least favorite out of the bunch.
The rest are ok.
My favorites are Savannah (doesn't sound very royal, but I love it!) Isla, Charlotte & Lucas. (Again, not royal-esque, but doesn't have to me since further down the line of succession.
I don't care for the names of Harry and Meghan's very much. Lilibet sounds infantile and strange, but I understand why it was used. At least there's lili/lily to fall back on. Poor Archie doesn't really have that option. Arch? It's easily my least favorite out of the bunch.
The rest are ok.
I will defend Lilibet 'til the day I die. That is all.
GIRLS:
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Savannah: I would use this for sure.
Isla: Don't like the look or the sound of it. Feels snooty.
Charlotte: Prissy and uptight.
Lilibet: Baby talk put into service as a name out of something, spite maybe?
Mia: Never saw the appeal of it. Sounds like a cat asking to be fed.
Lena: Frumpy, housekeeper's name.
Sienna: This is pretty. I like Sierra better but Sienna has a nice sound to it.
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BOYS:
George: I wouldn't use it for a fn, but it has a friendly, comfortable, reliable vibe to it that's quite strong.
Louis: It's all right, but it annoys me how they are using the French pronunciation for this, so it sounds like Louie, which is a two-bit hoodlum's name circa 1950. He isn't French; it ought to be pronounced like Lewis, as it is in the US.
Archie: Just can't take this seriously. It sounds like Louie's dimwitted pal who is only a hoodlum because he doesn't know when he's being used.
August: Pompous, stuffy. Goes well with Isla.
Lucas: It's okay but I don't really like it. Luke's a bit of an improvement but the sound is too croupy.
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Savannah: I would use this for sure.
Isla: Don't like the look or the sound of it. Feels snooty.
Charlotte: Prissy and uptight.
Lilibet: Baby talk put into service as a name out of something, spite maybe?
Mia: Never saw the appeal of it. Sounds like a cat asking to be fed.
Lena: Frumpy, housekeeper's name.
Sienna: This is pretty. I like Sierra better but Sienna has a nice sound to it.
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BOYS:
George: I wouldn't use it for a fn, but it has a friendly, comfortable, reliable vibe to it that's quite strong.
Louis: It's all right, but it annoys me how they are using the French pronunciation for this, so it sounds like Louie, which is a two-bit hoodlum's name circa 1950. He isn't French; it ought to be pronounced like Lewis, as it is in the US.
Archie: Just can't take this seriously. It sounds like Louie's dimwitted pal who is only a hoodlum because he doesn't know when he's being used.
August: Pompous, stuffy. Goes well with Isla.
Lucas: It's okay but I don't really like it. Luke's a bit of an improvement but the sound is too croupy.
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Why would *Lilibet be out of "spite"??
Lilibet was the late queen's childhood nickname, and Harry adored her. It wasn't spite, I think it was an attempt to name her after the person rather than the monarch.
I think in Britain Louis is pronounced the French way rather than like “Lewis”? I was shocked when I heard that ‘s what he was going to be named because it’s the quintessential French king’s name, but then he’s named after his great grand uncle Louis Mountbatten.
Except for Lilibet, which (IMO) seems to have been given in a moment of poor judgment - they seem very fashionable.
If you consider she's Lili, though, it'd blend right in.
It's like an inversion? names of nobility imitating the popular names.
Nah ... it's more like the idea of nobility itself is just hollowed out.
I think I approve, in some sense anyway.
I like most of the girl names - especially Isla, Charlotte, Mia, and Sienna.
The boys are nms, they give me an anemic impression. Archie and Lucas the least so.
If you consider she's Lili, though, it'd blend right in.
It's like an inversion? names of nobility imitating the popular names.
Nah ... it's more like the idea of nobility itself is just hollowed out.
I think I approve, in some sense anyway.
I like most of the girl names - especially Isla, Charlotte, Mia, and Sienna.
The boys are nms, they give me an anemic impression. Archie and Lucas the least so.
They are fascinating! A lot of American influence; Savannah and Sienna are far from the traditional name lists, as are Isla, Mia and Lena. It's hard to classify Lilibet ... and Lena is a surprise but could be a nod to names like Eleanor and Helena. Lucky I'm not royal - I don't like any of them.
The boys are more restrained; Archie is very traditionally Scottish, but I'd have preferred Archibald, nn Archie. George and Louis (Mountbatten presumably) couldn't be more mainstream. Lucas is mid-Atlantic, and better than Luke.
The boys are more restrained; Archie is very traditionally Scottish, but I'd have preferred Archibald, nn Archie. George and Louis (Mountbatten presumably) couldn't be more mainstream. Lucas is mid-Atlantic, and better than Luke.
I’ve noticed that the ones whose chances of ever reigning are well, rather slim, have been given less classic and trendier/more informal names.
Lilibet has already been discussed at length when she was born but I always found it odd she’d be given her great grandmother ‘s childhood nickname as a full name.
Lilibet has already been discussed at length when she was born but I always found it odd she’d be given her great grandmother ‘s childhood nickname as a full name.
This message was edited 9/19/2022, 9:44 AM
Harry and Meghan choosing Lilibet rather than Elizabeth always struck me as a very "Hollywood" style thing. Lilibet is a very movie star celebrity baby name.
From these, I like Charlotte, Lilibet, Lena, and August.