In May of 2015, the world watched as Will and Kate – then known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – welcomed their second child and first daughter.
The baby will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) May 4, 2015
Many members of the royal family enjoy more freedom now than in past generations, at least when it comes to naming their children.
But William is the future king, meaning any child of his will also be in the line of succession for the British throne.
Their names tend to be far more traditional than others in the Windsor circle. After all, a potential future monarch ought to have a ready-made name.
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Charlotte stands fourth in line for the throne, behind her grandfather, father, and older brother, George.
Let’s unpack the names the famous couple chose for their daughter, and check the popularity of each of her given names, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, in the US and in her home country.
CHARLOTTE (#3 in the US; #26 in England & Wales)
An earlier princess Charlotte was the only daughter of King Charles IV. She would have been queen, but she died in childbirth in 1817. Eventually, a young Queen Victoria ascended the throne.
Bridgerton fans might think of Queen Charlotte, the queen consort to King George III until her death in 1818. The list of royal Charlottes goes on.
It’s a family name on the Middleton side, too. Kate’s sister, Pippa, is Philippa Charlotte.
There’s more, too. It could possibly honor both grandpa Charles, now reigning as King Charles III, but also grandma Carole. All three names come from the Germanic Karl – “man” via the Latin Carolus.
It was already a chart-topping favorite throughout the English-speaking world when the new princess’ name was released.
ELIZABETH (#15 in the US; #60 in England and Wales)
Nearly every one predicted that Elizabeth would be included in the name of a princess. It honored Charlotte’s great-grandmother, the long-reigning Queen Elizabeth II. In addition, both Kate and her mother, Carole Middleton, share the middle name Elizabeth.
Back to the late queen for a minute. In the Windsor family:
- The late queen’s only daughter is Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise.
- Princess Anne’s daughter is Zara Anne Elizabeth.
- Zara’s second daughter is Lena Elizabeth.
- Anne’s son, Peter, named one of his daughters Isla Elizabeth.
- Princess Beatrice Elizabeth Mary is the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II’s second son, the disgraced Duke of York.
- Beatrice’s young daughter is named Sienna Elizabeth.
- Youngest son Edward, now the Duke of Edinburgh, is the father of Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary.
- Prince William’s brother, Prince Harry, named his daughter Lilibet, after a childhood nickname used by the late queen.
Adding Charlotte into the mix, that’s one daughter, three granddaughters, and five great-granddaughters, all with a form of Elizabeth in their given names.
DIANA (#228 in the US; #260 in England and Wales)
The couple honored Will’s late mother, the beloved Diana, with their daughter’s second middle. A few years later, Prince Harry named his daughter Lilibet Diana.
When the young Diana Spenser married the future King of England, rumor had it that her given name wasn’t considered royal enough for a future queen. (We know that the late queen had opinions about such things. Princess Beatrice was originally to be named Annabel until the monarch objected.)
Now, of course, Diana is about as significant a name as the family can bestow. Charlotte Elizabeth Diana blends all her royal lineage and more personal family history into a single name.
LOTTIE (#775 in the US; #52 in England and Wales)
While many American Charlottes shorten their name to Charlie, another nickname option is Lottie. It far outranks Charlie for girls in England. A few casual comments by her parents have suggested that the young princess goes by Lottie with close friends and family.
In the US, Lottie has risen in use dramatically in 2022 and 2023. While that likely has more to do with our love of names like Lyla and Lilly, Sadie and Hattie, it’s possible the news stories about the royal nickname boosted Lottie just a bit, too.
What do you think of the name Charlotte Elizabeth Diana?
First published on May 4, 2015, this post was updated on September 11, 2024.
Love reading this!
One small correction: Princess Beatrice’s daughter is Sienna Elizabeth, not Elizabeth Sienna.
Thank you! Fixing that now …
I love it. I hoped they’d be able to use Diana.
Is this where I say I told you so? 😉
YES! 🙂 Thought of you immediately!
Slight error as Princess Charlotte was the daughter of George IV, also known as the Prince Regent.
This seems to be the perfect name! Such a nice way to honor so many family members – mom, both grandmas, grandpa, and great-grandma. Well done!
And the aunt – I forgot Pippa! 🙂
It seems to me that Princess Charlotte was named in much the same way many of us have named our children — favorite names of special family members:
Charlotte — for Kate’s sister (and btw, a long ago Queen Charlotte)
Elizabeth — sharing the middle name of both Kate and her mother (oh, and for the queen too)
Diana — for William’s beloved mother
Lucky for Kate that her parents used royal names for all three of their children!
This could be an example of Dad chooses the boy’s name and Mum chooses the girl’s name… 😉