His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge
After waiting two days for the Duke and Duchess to decide on a name and make an announcement, many of us are delighted, but not surprised, to hear of the Prince's given names. Here's why George is so perfect for the little prince.
George is a royal name with a rich history. It has strong familial ties to the House of Windsor, as King George V founded it in 1917. It is one of the middle names of Prince Charles, and the chosen name of the Queen's father, King George VI. At the time of Prince George's birth, there were no living royal relatives with his first name, creating the perfect opportunity. This will make the little prince the seventh English king to be called George if he choses to keep his name upon ascending the throne someday.
Did the Duke and Duchess Choose Wisely?
I had to laugh when I saw the headline from TMZ calling the name "A BIG MISS". While some Americans will likely think that George isn't as fashionable as some of the other traditional choices, it's classy, elegant, royal, and exceedingly British. My answer is a resounding yes!
Here's why George is so worthy of an English king. It's the name of the patron saint of England (since the 14th century). This is the saint who is said to have slain a dragon to rescue a maiden, and it still carries a very heroic and romantic air because of that. St. George is appropriately the patron saint of knights, which is why English knights used to cry "By George!" as they were charging into battle. It's an ancient name, a very British name, and a very royal name. In fact, the list of monarchs named George throughout history is so long, I prefer not to list them here.
Popularity
In the US, the popularity of the name has been waning. It's at an all-time low, sitting at #166 out of the top 1,000 names in the country. It was a top-10 name until 1938 and has been steadily but slowly dropping in use. Today's American parents may associate George with people who are one generation older than they are. This makes George feel more like a name our dad may have instead of a fashionably antique name. (And those antique names are more fashionable if they took a dive in popularity in the past 50-100 years. George remained pretty popular during that time.) However, I could see parents in the US reconsidering in light of the royal baby. I do expect George to see a bump in use for babies born in the year 2013.
In the UK, George is very popular. In England and Wales, it was in the top 10 names until 2011, but it only fell to #12. George will definitely gain favor once again as many British parents seek to emulate royalty and honor the new prince by naming their sons after him. Duchess Catherine has definitely proven her ability to influence trends, and her taste in names will be no exception.
- George Clooney
- George Straight
- George Lucas
- George Lopez
- George Eads
- George Takei
- George Michael
- George Hamilton
- George Harrison
- George W. Bush
- George H.W. Bush
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