Princess Charlotte of Cambridge

It's official! The Princess is here and her name is perfection. She's fourth in line to the throne and officially bears three names: Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. Let's break those three beautiful names down, shall we?

Princess Charlotte's first name is in honor of her grandfather Charles, the Prince of Wales. It's the perfect way to honor him, it's elegant, darling, royal, and English (by way of French).  Go back in time with me to my original feature post on this name:

The name Charlotte, a feminine form of the name Charles, gained fame in England after Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, brought the name to royal status. Queen Charlotte was a patron of the arts and supported both Bach, who was also her music teacher, and Mozart, who dedicated an opus to her. She was known for her art exhibitions and humanitarian efforts, and her name became a very attractive choice among parents in Great Britain and across Europe. In America, a city was named after her, and Charlotte is now the largest city in North Carolina.

Her middle name, Elizabeth, is in honor of the Queen, Elizabeth II, the princess' great-grandmother. Elizabeth is also in honor of Kate's mother, Carole Elizabeth, who passed her middle name on to Kate as well. Using Elizabeth is a sweet family tradition for Kate, and she must have been proud to pass it on to her daughter. Here's a little more info from my original post on this name:

Quite possibly the most classic female name of all time, Elizabeth has an impressive history with thousands of years of renown. It was the name of at least 14 different European queens, including the current Queen of England. It was the name of John the Baptist's mother in the Bible. It has represented princesses, empresses, and saints.

The princess' second middle name, Diana, is in honor of her late grandmother, Diana, Princess of Wales. It's a name from ancient Roman mythology as the goddess of the moon and of hunting. Because she was also known to be the virgin goddess of women and childbirth, poets would use the goddess Diana in reference to the virgin Queen, Elizabeth I.

Popularity
In England, this name will be very well received. Even though new name stats are due out this week, I can say with confidence that in the US, we are all enamored with the Princess' full name as well.

The name Charlotte is currently ranked at #11 and is rising in popularity.
The name Elizabeth is  currently ranked at #10 and is holding steady in popularity.
The name Diana is currently ranked at #270 and is falling in popularity.

This is quite a bit different than the impression the name George left on us. The Princess' name is likely going to be a top 10 name in the US once new stats are revealed for 2014. It's very popular, and it will strike people as beautiful and classic.

All three of the Princess' names are honor names. They are very sentimental, and while Diana in particular may be the least popular, it's probably the most touching. It doesn't take a name expert to declare that this little Princess' name is a big hit, and exactly the kind of name we were all hoping for.