Prince George Alexander Louis: What Does it Mean?
Credit: Matt Dunham/AP Photo
The name of the royal prince has been announced: George Alexander Louis. While the happy couple haven't publicly said why the name was chosen, royal watchers see plenty of meaning in the name of the future monarch.
Prince William and Kate Middleton chose to stick with tradition rather than name the royal heir something with a more modern twist, which doesn't surprise former press secretary to the queen, Dickie Arbiter, one bit.
"They all have been used regularly in royal circles," Arbiter told GoodMorningAmerica.com. "They're all pretty traditional. They've gone for traditional names, rather than 21 st century names."
When asked if Arbiter believed the queen had any influence over the naming process, he replied, "The queen probably had no influence whatsoever. It was a complete decision made my William. He's very headstrong. Yes, he will pass on the information, but as far as these children' s names, it was up to he and Catherine."
Kate Middleton and Prince William Name the Baby
As for George, there isn't much of a surprise here, as the queen's father is George the Sixth and her grandfather is George the Fifth.
"The queen's uncle is also a George. It's a fairly well-used name," said Arbiter. "Edward the Seventh's second son is a George. George has been used quite regularly through the generations."
Alexander is also steeped with tradition amongst the royals.
"As far as Alexander is concerned, Alexandra has been used quite frequently. The queen is Alexandra," Arbiter explained. "One of George the First's daughter's was an Alexandra. And one of Edward the Seventh's son's was Alexander."
Keep in mind, however, that we do not yet know what the duke and duchess will be calling the baby on a daily basis.
"I think we could be looking at a King Alexander," said Jennifer Griffin, author of "Bring Back Beatrice: 1,108 Baby Names with Meaning, Character and a Little Bit of Attitude." "But we also don't know what they're going to call the kid yet. Alexander is an exciting possibility. If they call him Alexander, it's like Alexander the Great."
George may be the more traditional approach, as Six King George's have worn the crown. And if down the line when the newest royal addition takes the throne and decides upon being called King George, he will be the first since 1952.
"George is favored by leaders here and there, but it's also got a little bit of a dork factor about it," Griffin said. "We've traditionally thought of it as a dorky name, but as names like Henry and Edward are trending up, so will George."
The name George has pastoral backgrounds, says Griffin, relating to farm work, while the other two names, Alexander and Louis, are much more warrior oriented.
"Alexander is defender of man, or defender of people," she explained. "And Louis is the same as warrior."
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Of the three names, Louis is the most shocking choice, although still not particularly out of the ordinary for the royal family.
"The queen's third son is a Louis, Prince William is a Louis, Princess Anne is a Louise, and that really is sort of the appearance of that name," said Arbiter.
But Griffin found Louis to be "a real wild card."
"I was shocked by Louis because it's so French," she said.
No matter how you interpret it, Prince William and Kate Middleton are delighted with their new bundle of joy, whose official title is His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.
"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son George Alexander Louis," the palace said.
The baby boy was born Monday at 4:24 p.m. London time. He weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces, according to an official announcement from Kensington Palace four hours after the birth.