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Beatrice was launched in Britain by Queen Victoria, who gave it to her youngest daughter and thus, indirectly, to lots of little girls including my grandmother (as a middle name). A number of women in our family were named after my grandmother, sometimes with one of her two names, sometimes with both. Her younger daughter, my mother, was named Beatrice; no mn. Much later - about 20 years ago or a bit less - the British royals revived it for Prince Andrew's daughter. This doesn't seem to have launched it on a revival in England, as that particular branch of the royals isn't taken too seriously, but it is a mild annoyance to me as I named my daughter (now 16) after her late grandmother and very occasionally people assume that I'm some kind of monarchist ...

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One of Beatrice's classmates is named Gladys, which is about the same vintage; however, she is Congolese and her family speak French, so nothing proves anything.

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