Bridgerton Baby Names

Bridgerton baby names are trending.

We’ve been following the fictional mega-family for years. Julia Quinn published the very first book in the year 2000. Since then, all eight of the Bridgerton siblings have enjoyed their own novel – along with a series of prequels and a sort of all-family epilogue published in 2013.

Then along came the smash hit Netflix series, with two successful seasons in 2020 and 2022, and a third debuting in 2024. Shondaland, the television production company helmed by creative powerhouse Shonda Rhimes, adapted the bestsellers.

Are they influencing what we name our children?

Almost certainly yes.

More on that in a minute.

When does Bridgerton take place?

First things first: Bridgerton is historical fiction … and fantasy. But it’s based in a real time period.

The Regency era stretches from around 1795 into the late 1830s. King George III’s struggles with mental illness started in the 1780s. By 1810, they grew so serious that his son, George, Prince of Wales, was appointed prince regent with the Regency Act of 1811.

The original eight novels start in 1813 and extend through 1827, right in the middle of the period.

We tend to think of the Regency era as a good time to be wealthy and titled, particularly in the circle to which the fictional Bridgertons belonged. Romance writers love it for the trappings of the social season – carriage rides, Dukes and Earls, elaborate balls and plenty of horse riding.

The Regency era coincides with the Romantic period. Authors like Shelley and Lord Byron come to mind. But it was also the time period described by Jane Austen in her enduring novels – and there’s overlap between characters like Austen’s Emma Woodhouse and Quinn’s Daphne Bridgerton.

That doesn’t mean that names were particularly romantic or dramatic.

Did the Bridgertons have typical Regency names?

In a word, no.

British Baby Names has a great list of popular Georgian names. (The Regency era is a subset of the Georgian period.) Almost none of the family’s names appear on that list.

That said, these names were known.

So just like beautiful, wealthy, and principled well-born men and women who just happen to fall madly in love and (eventually) marry?

It’s possible.

The original family consisted of parents Edmund and Violet, who welcomed eight children, all named in alphabetical order:

• ANTHONY
• BENEDICT
• COLIN
• DAPHNE
• ELOISE
• FRANCESCA
• GREGORY
• HYACINTH

Both the books and the television series begin in the middle, with the story of eldest sister Daphne – Bridgerton #4.

Spoiler alert for seasons one and two! Also note that the books and the television series don’t line up exactly – both in terms of timeline or smaller details. Some spoilers for the novels are here, too – but that may or may not line up with what happens in future seasons.

BRIDGERTON BABY NAMES: GIRLS

AGATHA

We meet the imposing Lady Danbury early in the Bridgerton television series, but it takes a while before we learn her given name: Agatha. She was a close friend to Sarah, the fomer Duchess of Hastings. After Sarah died in childbirth, Agatha would become a maternal figure to Simon, who we meet at the start of the first season of Bridgerton. As girl names go, Agatha remains out of favor, but the character is smart, strong, and reminds us that this Greek name meaning good is just that.

ALICE

Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, has a good friend named Will. Will, a boxer, and his wife Alice operate a sports club. The Mondrichs rely on the Duke’s connections to help build the club’s reptuation. Alice is loyal and unflinchingly direct.

AMELIA

At the end of the first season of Bridgerton,  the (finally) happily married Daphne and Simon welcome their first child, a son. Daphne asks what they should name him, and Simon replies that it has to start with an A. In the books, that’s also true … but their first daughter is a girl named Amelia. We later learn that the couple has four children: Amelia, Belinda, Caroline, and David. Daphne is expecting a fifth child in an epilogue, eventually named Edward. Royal aficiandos might recall that Queen Charlotte and King George III’s youngest daughter was named Amelia, and called Emily by her family.

CHARLOTTE

Most Bridgerton names belong to fictional characters. But Queen Charlotte really was the consort to King George III. It’s also true that historical sources suggest the real queen might’ve been black or biracial, though almost certainly not in the way the adaption imagines. She also features in the 2023 prequel Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, beginning way back in 1761 when she first met and married the king. Of course, Charlotte is already among the most popular baby names in the US, so it’s impossible to say whether the series is boosting this particular choice.

CRESSIDA

The ton has its mean girls. In Bridgerton, that means Lady Cressida Cowper. She’s a wealthy debutante and rival to Daphne. Royal watchers might recognize the name thanks to the well-born Cressida Bonas, a former love interest for the real life Prince Harry. Shakespeare likely invented the name based on a Greek name meaning “golden.”

DAPHNE

In 2020, the baby name Daphne ranked a respectable #414. Two years after Bridgerton dominated Netflix, it reached #278 in 2022. Plenty of other factors helped the name’s rise, including a character from White Lotus’ second season and the popularity of names like Chloe and Penelope. But no question that Miss Daphne Bridgerton – the “diamond” of her debutante season – helped.

EDWINA

During the second season of Bridgerton, eldest brother Anthony – the Viscount – falls in love. He’s originally meant to marry Edwina Sharma, the granddaughter of a baron. But after a few plot twists, Anthony ends up happily married to Kate Sharma, Edwina’s older half-sister. In the television adaptation, the girls are half-Indian; that’s not true in the novels, where their surname was Sheffield, though other parts of their story remian unchanged.

ELOISE

The second Bridgerton sister, Eloise is smart, curious, and unconventional. She’s best friends with Penelope Featherington. (In the novels, Eloise marries and names her daughter Penelope for her friend.) Throughout the series, a notorious gossip sheet by Lady Whistledown drives much of the drama. Eloise becomes determined to ferret out Lady Whistledown’s true identity during the season season, which fuels quite a bit of drama.

FRANCESCA

We’ve yet to see much of the third sister on the show. She’s sent away to study music with her Aunt Winnie. But she has her own book – and her own love story, too, so if Bridgerton lasts a few more seasons, presumably we’ll see more of her eventually.

FELICITY

In Julia Quinn’s novels, there’s a fourth Featherington sister – Felicity. She’s close in age to Hyacinth Bridgerton and the two are friends.

GENEVIEVE

The ladies of the ton need a good dressmaker – a designer/seamstress who crafts all of those elaborate gowns. On the Netflix series, that’s Madame Genevieve Delacroix. It turns out she’s not French – just English, savvy, and ambitious – but she picks the perfect French name for her shop, Modiste, and keeps the debutantes and their mamas happy with her creations.

HYACINTH

The youngest Bridgerton sister, she’s still too young to be a part of the drama in the Netflix series – so far.

KATE

In the novels, eldest brother Anthony courts Edwina Sheffield, but ulimately marries her older half-sister, Kate. The series reinvents her as Kate Sharma, originally of India. Her full name is given as Kathani, a name with Sanskrit roots meaning “statement.” There are also hints of Taming of the Shrew, which also features a headstrong older sister named Kate.

MARINA

During the first season, Miss Marina Thompson comes to stay with her distant cousins, the Featheringtons, in London. She’s meant to make her debut and find a husband. Problems quickly arise. Marina was in love with handsome George Crane from her hometown, who went off to war with a promise that they’d marry on his return. The only problem? Marina was already expecting when he left … and George died in battle. Marina ultimately gets a happy ending – at least for now.

PENELOPE

When the series begins, we feel a little sorry for Penelope Featherington. Her mother is obnoxious and overbearing. Her sisters are none too bright. And they’re all making their debut together, in hopes that they can marry well and quickly – despite understanding that their prospects are limited. With their garish dresses, the Featheringtons aren’t exactly the center of the London social whirl, but they’re invited to everything.

It quickly becomes that apparent that Penelope sees everything clearly. She’s secretly writing a must-read gossip sheet under the pseudonym Lady Whistledown. Things get tense when her bestie, Eloise, becomes determined to uncover Whistledown’s identity. Appropriately enough, the meaning of Penelope is weaver, as Miss Featherington brings together the strands of gossip to reveal all sorts of truths.

The name’s current popularity predates the series. But as Penelope’s love story with Bridgerton brother Colin is the focus of the upcoming season three, it’s possible to imagine the name rising even higher.

PHILIPPA

The second Featherington sister.

PORTIA

Lady Featherington, wife of Baron Featherington, proves herself ambitious and unscrupulous. She’s willing to do anything to see her daughters marry well – though we do learn that she maintains some principles.

PRUDENCE

The eldest Featherington sister.

SIENA

An opera singer and love interest for Anthony, at least until he meets the Sharma sisters.

VIOLET

The mother of the eight Bridgerton siblings, Lady Violet is smart and kind, a doting mother who very much loved her husband, the late Viscount Bridgerton. She’s known Lady Danbury since they were both young. Their conspiring brings Daphne and Simon together in the first place.

BRIDGERTON BABY NAMES: BOYS

ANTHONY

Anthony Bridgerton is the eldest of the eight siblings, and thus becomes Viscount Bridgerton on his father’s death. His love story with Kate Sharma dominates the second season of the Netflix series. He’s headstrong, but also has a keen sense of responsiblity as head of his family.

It’s one of the few Bridgerton baby names that would’ve been common in Regency England. A note on prounciation: Anthony comes from the Roman family name Antonius. It picked up the H from the Greek anthos – flower. The English often pronounce the TH like a T – Antony – but it varies.

ARCHIBALD

The late Lord Featherington, father of Prudence, Philippa, and Penelope (and Felicity, in the books). He’s a gambler, and when he dies, leaves Portia and their girls in a difficult financial position.

AUGUST

In the Netflix series, he’s the firstborn son of Simon and Daphne, and thus the future Duke of Hastings. Everyone almost always calls him Augie. When he’s born, the new parents discuss what to name him. Simon jests that it has to begin with an A. In the novels, their firstborn is a girl – but also an A name, Amelia, and her siblings’ names follow in alphabetical order.

Fun fact: two sets of twins played Augie when he appeared during the second season. Their names? Arianna and Ava in the third episode; Araballa and Amoura in the eighth episode. A names for everyone!

BENEDICT

The second Bridgerton brother, Benedict is an aspiring artist. The name Benedict has increased slightly in use since the series debuted. While the character might get some credit, it’s only part of the story. One factor: Benedict’s Latin roots give this name an appealing meaning: blessed.

Since Bridgerton is already renewed for season four, it seems possible that we’ll eventually meet Benedict’s true love, Sophie, and learn more about her Cinderella-esque story. (Complete with a wicked stepsister named Rosamund, and a rather nice stepsister, Posy. More names to watch!)

COLIN

Thirdborn Colin sets off to travel in Europe during the first season. He returns, falls in love and nearly marries, but ultimately his happily-ever-after is coming during the third season. Colin is set to fall for his long-time friend Penelope. (In the novels, they marry and have four children: daughters Agatha and Jane and sons Thomas and Georgie.)

DOMINIC

We meet Lady Danbury’s firstborn son, Dominic, in the prequel series about Queen Charlotte. He’s yet to appear in Bridgerton.

GEORGE

King George III is on the throne during the series, but it’s his son, the future King George IV, who serves as his regent. George appears on several minor characters in the world of Bridgerton. As with Anthony, it’s a typical choice for the era.

GREGORY

The youngest Bridgerton son, Gregory is still a child during the Netflix series. In the books, he eventually grows up and marries Lucy. They move to the country and raise nine children together, six of whom have first names borrowed from Gregory’s siblings.

JACK

When Lord Featheringon dies without a son, his estate passes to a cousin. The unscrupulous Jack Featherington comes to town and causes all sorts of drama during season two – but also gives Portia Featherington a chance to show her good side.

SIMON

The Duke of Hastings, played the the dashing Regé-Jean Page, is the typical romance novel hero. Wealthy, handsome, honorable, and determined not to marry for reasons that are both understandable and overcomable. Simon Basset is a dear friend to Anthony Bridgerton, from their days at school together. (And, presumably, from the friendship between Lady Danbury and Lady Bridgerton.) In the books, we learn that his full name is Simon Arthur Henry Fitzranulph Basset. The baby name Simon has increased in use slightly since the year 2020, suggesting that perhaps parents are seeing this classic name with fresh eyes.

Would you take inspiration from Bridgerton baby names?