Rare Royal Names Celebrate Coronation Day
As this weekend marks the first British coronation in nearly seventy years, let's look into the names of the new King Charles III and Queen Camilla, as well as some names from their family trees – from the well known to the virtually unique.
King Charles III’s Names
Charles
When the new King was born in 1948 the bookies were expecting the Prince to be named Albert, George or Andrew after his grandfathers, or perhaps Philip after his father, but Charles was completely unexpected.
Charles hadn’t been used for an English prince since the birth of Charles II in 1630, and both of the previous kings named Charles had been wrapped in scandal. Charles I caused a Civil War and was executed, and his son Charles II was known to be a wild philanderer.
Then the trouble with Charles continued with Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Jacobite pretender to the throne who much of Scotland claimed was Charles III.
The name came close to the royal family through Karl as the Hanovers and Saxe-Coburg Gothas married German princes and every Hanover generation had a Princess Charlotte or Princess Caroline in its ranks.
The name comes from the German Karl via its Latinized form Carolus, and is believed to come from the Proto-German word karlaz meaning ‘man’
Philip
The first of King Charles’ middle names is an obvious honour for his father, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark.
When Philip was born in Corfu he was actually baptised Filippos, the Greek form of the name. The name has a lot of royal history in Greece, where it was used by five Kings of Macedon including Alexander the Great’s father Philip II.
It was thought to have been introduced to the ruling families of Western Europe by Anna of Kiev, Queen of the Franks, when she named her first born son Philippe around 1052.
The name is made up of two Greek elements, philos meaning ‘friend’ or ‘lover’ and hippos meaning ‘horses’
Arthur
The name Arthur is inextricably tied to the British royal family from the folkloric King Arthur of Camelot.
It was first given to a non-mythical Prince in 1486, when the treaty marriage between Henry Tudor and Elizabeth of York ended the Wars of the Roses and returned peace to England. For Henry and Elizabeth the name must have symbolised bringing their country from war to a new period of Camelot, though there would never be a King Arthur as the Prince died at fifteen of sweating sickness.
The name was used again by Queen Victoria for her fourth son. Both of these Prince Arthurs were born in times where the courtly romance of Arthurian legend was very popular in England.
The name comes from Welsh and is derived from two Celtic elements, artos meaning ‘bear’ and either wiros meaning ‘man’ or rīxs meaning ‘king’.
George
Charles’ final middle name was no doubt given in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth’s beloved father King George VI.
Born Albert and called Bertie by his family, Charles’ grandfather inherited the crown from his brother David just as the threat of World War II was looming on the horizon. Though Albert was a family name, he thought it too German to be patriotic and went with one of his middle names, George.
The quintessentially English name refers usually to St George, the patron saint of England, but it was popularised for British monarchs by the German Hanoverian family who produced Georges I-IV.
Despite this, the name was actually first used by a monarch in 1477 for the short lived son of King Edward IV. This poor Prince George died at only two years old of the plague, but perhaps that was a better fate as his two brothers Edward and Richard were the ‘Princes in the Tower’ who disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
The name comes from Greek and derives from the word georgos meaning ‘farmer’ or ‘earthworker’.
Queen Camilla’s Names
Camilla
The new Queen’s names are harder to track down as non-royal families may not include the same ties to history when choosing their children’s names.
Camilla has ancient roots but the meaning is not entirely agreed upon. The most frequently referenced meaning for Camilla is ‘acolyte’ as camilla, or camillus for boys, was a Latin term for children who served the High Priest of Jupiter.
What throws this meaning into contention is another Queen Camilla, this one from Virgil’s Aeneid. This Camilla was named for her mother Casmilla.
The name came to popularity in England after the 1796 publication of Camilla by Fanny Burney, a novel which partially inspired Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and also introduced other romantic names like Eugenia, Lavinia and even Indiana.
Rosemary
Camilla was given her middle name in honour of her maternal grandmother Sonia Rosemary Keppel, the younger daughter of Edward VII’s mistress Alice Keppel.
Her maternal family carries a trend of Rose names from Camilla’s mother Rosalind Cubitt to her daughter Laura Rose Parker Bowles to her granddaughter through her son Tom, Lola Rosalind Parker Bowles.
Though at first glance it seems like it might be a smoosh name, Rosemary actually has a completely different meaning from Rose and Mary. It comes from the Latin term ros marinus meaning ‘dew of the sea’.
In the language of flowers the herb rosemary represented remembrance, as referenced by Ophelia in Hamlet: "There is rosemary, that's for remembrance, Pray you, love, remember."
Girl Names from the Royal Family Tree
Alice
Victoria Alice Elizabeth Julia Marie of Battenberg (1885-1969)
King Charles’ paternal grandmother was Alice of Battenberg, an advocate for human rights who sheltered Jewish refugees during World War II and founded an order of nuns who helped the poor of Athens.
Alice was named for her maternal aunt, Princess Alix of Hesse, who later married Nicholas, the last Tsar of Russia, and changed her name to Alexandra upon entering the Russian Church.
Alix had been named for her mother Alice, the second daughter of Queen Victoria, her mother chose her name in honour of Lord Melbourne, a former Prime Minister, who had once told her that Alice was his favourite name.
Prince Philip passed this name down to his only daughter Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise.
Alexandrina
Alexandrina Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1819-1901)
One of the largest looming figures in recent English history, the name that Queen Victoria lent to the Victorian era was actually her middle name. Her parents had originally wanted to name her Victoria Georgina Alexandrina Charlotte Augusta, but her uncle the Prince Regent refused to accept the more traditional Hanoverian names, leaving her with only Alexandrina and Victoria.
Alexandrina itself was meant to honour one of her godfathers, Tsar Alexander I of Russia. Slightly more extravagant than ancient place name Alexandria, it lends itself to Queen Victoria’s childhood nickname Drina as well as all of Alexandra’s nicknames.
Arethusa
Arethusa Jane Calvert (1825-1877)
Camilla’s side of the family tree also offers up some interesting names. Her great-great-grandfather Archibald Calvert – itself an interesting name – had an elder sister named Arethusa.
The name comes from Greek mythology, in which Arethusa is a Nereid, or water nymph, who was turned into a fresh water fountain by the goddess Artemis to protect her from the unwanted advances of a river god Alpheus.
The name itself means ‘quick water’, making it a gorgeous hidden nature meaning.
Edrica
Edrica Faulkner (1822-1890)
Another of Camilla’s great-great-grandparents was Edrica Faulkner, the daughter of Joshua Wilson Faulker, an itinerant portrait artist.
Edrica was born in Florence while her parents were travelling through Europe – perhaps it was her parents artistic temperaments that influenced them to pick an unusual name for their only child.
It’s a feminisation of the Anglo-Saxon name Eadric, coming from the two elements ead meaning ‘wealth’ or ‘fortune’ and ric meaning ‘ruler’ or ‘king’. This could be an interesting honour name for an Erica or an Edward.
Feodora
Anna Feodora Auguste Charlotte Wilhelmine of Leiningen (1807-1872)
Queen Victoria was her father’s only child but her mother, Victoire, was a widow who brought two children from her previous marriage, Karl and Feodora.
This unusual German form of Theodora was passed down through Feodora’s children but Victoria also gave a variant of her half-sister’s name to her youngest daughter Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore.
The slightly softer Feodore variant is also how Victoria referred to her sister in her diaries and letters. Perhaps as Theodore gains more and more popularity this variant might be an option.
Frederica
Alice Frederica Keppel “Freddie” (1868-1947)
Queen Camilla’s most discussed ancestor is without a doubt her great-grandmother Alice Keppel, who was a mistress to Edward VII.
Despite being known to history as Alice, within her family she went by her middle name Frederica and was called Freddie. Freddie was the youngest of her siblings and several of her sisters also had grand romantic names like Euphemia and Clementina.
In a time when nicknames on the birth certificate are becoming so popular, Freddie for a girl would be an interesting option.
Hyacinthe
Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Roland (1766-1816)
An interesting family name on the Bowes-Lyon side of King Charles’ family is the unusual floral name Hyacinth.
His grandmother Elizabeth, The Queen Mother's short-lived eldest sister Violet Hyacinth is the most recent bearer of this name, but it goes all the way back to Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Roland, a French actress who was the mistress of one of Duke of Wellington’s brothers.
The name comes from Greek myth, where Hyakinthos was a young man loved by both Zephyr, the god of the west wind, and Apollo. Zephyr killed him to spite Apollo and out of love Apollo turned Hyakinthos’ body into the beautiful purple flower that bears his name.
Polyxena
Karoline Polyxena of Nassau-Usingen (1762-1823)
Further up in Charles’ family tree is a German princess Karoline Polyxena. Karoline was given her two names in honour of her mother Karoline Felizitas and her grandmother Katharina Polyxena.
Unfortunately, neither Polyxena or Felizitas were passed down to Karoline’s children or grandchildren.
The name comes from the Greek term polyxenos meaning “entertaining many guests” or “very hospitable”. This could be a lovely alternative to Pollyanna for those looking for a longer form for Polly.
Salomea
Julia Therese Salomea Hauke (1825-1895)
There have been a few times in the past two hundred years where a commoner entered King Charles’ family tree, and they almost always bring a new crop of interesting names.
In the case of Julia Hauke, the daughter of a Polish General, Jan-Moritz Hauke, one of her middle names, Salomea, is particularly intriguing. It’s the Polish form of Salome, which was passed down to her by her paternal grandmother Maria Salomea.
The name means ‘peace’ and was also the middle name of famous Polish scientist Marie Curie.
Thyra
Thyra Amalie Caroline Charlotte Anna of Denmark (1853-1933)
Thyra was the youngest daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark, her two older sisters Alexandra “Alix” and Marie “Minnie” would go on to marry the King of England and the Tsar of Russia, respectively.
Her name was part of a trend within the Nordic royal families moving away from Germanic and French names and more towards traditionally Nordic names. Her brother Frederik, who inherited the throne from their father, named one of his daughters Thyra after his sister, but also used other Danish names like Ingeborg and Dagmar.
There is some debate over the meaning of Thyra, but the first element definitely references the god Thor while the second element either means ‘holiness’ or ‘strength’.
Boy Names from the Royal Family Tree
August
Franz Albert August Karl Emanuel of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819-1861)
Back in 2021, Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank named their son August, relating it back to Queen Victoria’s famous prince consort, Albert.
Much like his wife, Albert went by one of his middle names. His unused first name Franz was in honour of his paternal grandfather, while August was the name of his maternal grandmother.
The German August was usually anglicised to Augustus by the British royal family, as well as the feminine form Augusta, given to Queen Victoria's third daughter Helena Augusta Victoria.
The now-trendy name wouldn’t be revived in the family until Princess Eugenie dusted off the cobwebs.
Beilby
Beilby Porteus Hodgson (1808-1889)
An interesting name deep in the history of the Bowes-Lyon family tree, Beilby was first used as an honour name for a famous relative, Beilby Porteus, Bishop of London.
Beilby Hodgson was the great-grandson of Robert Porteus through his daughter Mildred Hodgson. The bishop was a famous abolitionist of the time and a colleague of William Wilberforce in the campaign to eradicate slavery in the British West Indian colonies.
The name was originally a surname in Yorkshire and comes from Old Norse, meaning "Beli’s town", Beli being a Old Norse name that comes from the word belja ‘to roar’.
Not only could this name be an intriguing way of honouring a pioneer of abolition, but it could also fit in with other popular surnames as first names, like Bellamy or Bennett.
Claude
Claude George Bowes-Lyon (1855-1944)
On the Queen Mother’s side of the family, Claude is quite a popular family name. Her father was named Claude George after her grandfather, and though none of her brothers got it as a first name, her brother Mickie was given the full name Michael Claude Hamilton.
Through her Uncle Malcolm Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother had a cousin with a sound-alike feminization of the family name: the Irish name Clodagh, which comes from the name of a river in County Waterford.
The name Claude comes from the Latin Claudius, borne by one of the famous first five Emperors of Rome. Incidentally, Emperor Claudius began the Roman Conquest of Britain before being murdered by his wife, Agrippina.
Constantine
Constantine, King of Greece (1868-1923)
Despite the British identity he forged, Prince Philip’s history was strongly rooted in Greece and Russia.
His Uncle Constantine (born Konstantinos) was the King of Greece. He was succeeded on the Greek throne by his sons George, Alexander and Paul, before Paul’s son, another Constantine, lost the throne when the Greek Monarchy was abolished in 1973.
King Constantine I got his name through his mother’s side of the family. His mother, Olga, was part of the Russian Romanov dynasty and her father had been Grand Duke Konstantin, a younger son of Tsar Nicholas I.
The name Konstantin, often with the nickname Kostya, was a common one in the Russian royal family. It was used to strengthen their ties to being the “Third Rome” – a link to Emperor Constantine who ruled over the First and Second Rome.
Edwyn
Edwyn Burnaby (1798-1867)
Sometimes family names work out perfectly, as was the case in a far branch of the Queen Mother’s family tree where three generations of men were named Edwyn Burnaby.
At first it may seem that it was a creative spelling of the name Edwin that was relatively common at the time, but the first Edwyn, Edwyn Andrew Burnaby, was creatively named for his mother Anne, whose maiden name was Edwyn.
Edwyn, along with its usual spelling Edwin, comes from Old English and means 'fortunate friend'.
In American royal family news, John F Kennedy and Jackie Onassis’ first great-grandchild, who was born last year to their granddaughter Tatiana Schlossberg, was named Edwin in honour of his grandfather.
Fergus
Fergus Bowes-Lyon (1889-1915)
In 1923, when Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married Prince Albert, later King George VI, she started the Royal tradition of laying the bride’s bouquet on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.
The newly minted Duchess of York did this to honour her brother Fergus, who had been killed in action during World War I only eight years earlier.
Elizabeth’s parents seemed to prefer names with Scottish heritage for their sons. Along with Fergus they had Patrick, Jock, Alec, Mickie and David, but Fergus certainly sticks out the most.
The name comes from Old Irish and means ‘man of vigour’. It was used several times by Irish Kings and in Irish legend. For modern parents it could be a good way to get to the cute nickname Gus, while skipping the more popular August.
John
John Charles Francis Windsor “Johnnie” (1905-1919)
Among Elizabeth II’s royal uncles was the unfortunate Prince John. John was autistic and had epilepsy and neither condition was well understood at the time, which led his parents to separate him from his siblings and the public eye. He lived a very quiet and private life before he passed away after an epileptic seizure at only thirteen, nearly a decade before his niece Elizabeth was born.
The name John carries quite a reputation within the royal family – some would say a curse.
Along with the young death of Prince John, King Edward VII stillborn youngest son was named Alexander John, and in medieval history King John was forced to hand over much of his power through the Magna Carta.
So, despite being one of the most popular boy’s names for the past century in the English-speaking world, it hasn’t been used in the royal family since 1905.
Leopold
Leopold George Duncan Albert, Duke of Albany (1853-1884)
Queen Victoria brought several new names to the royal roll call – one of them being the German import Leopold.
Victoria and Albert named their youngest son after their shared uncle (yikes) Leopold, King of the Belgians. This little Leo died when he was only thirty years old as the first member of the family to have the royal disease that would be passed down through his sisters to his nephews.
His nephews Friedrich “Frittie”, Leopold and Maurice all died of the same disease, brought on by inbreeding. Famously, it was also carried by his grand-nephews Aleksey, Tsarevitch of Russia and Alfonso and Gonzalo, Infantes of Spain.
The name itself sounds like it’s related to the soundalike lion names, like Leo, Leon and Lionel, but it actually comes from German and means ‘brave people’. Nevertheless, it's a still great way to get to cool nickname Leo.
Septimus
Arthur Septimus Stillman (1840-1892) and Augustus Octavius Stillman (1841-1910)
It became a trend in the late 1700s and early 1800s to use Latin number names to demarcate children in a particular birth order, particularly Septimus and Octavius and their female equivalents Septima and Octavia, meaning 'seventh' and 'eighth' respectively.
This trend was perhaps started by King George III who named his eighth son and thirteenth child Octavius (poor Queen Charlotte!) This was after naming his sixth and seventh sons Augustus and Adolphus – it seems that Latinate style appealed to the royals.
Over in Queen Camilla’s family tree George and Eliza Stillman seemed very inspired by this naming style with their seventh and eighth sons being named Arthur Septimus and Augustus Octavius (they also had an Adolphus).
Queen Camilla is descended from Arthur and Augustus’s older brother, Frederick, who named one of his children after his brother Augustus Octavius, though he didn’t wait nearly as long to use it – this Gus was only the second son.
Vyacheslav
Grand Duke Vyacheslav of Russia “Slava” (1862-1879)
Deep in Prince Philip’s Russian family tree there was a short lived Grand Duke with the unusual name Vyacheslav. Slava was the youngest of Grand Duke Konstantin and Grand Duchess Alexandra’s six children and the only one to not to live to adulthood.
All of his other siblings – Nikolay, Olga, Vera, Konstantin and Dmitriy – had quite common names for the Russian aristocracy, but Vyacheslav stands out. The name perhaps comes from the fact that he was born when his parents were visiting Warsaw and wanted to honour the coincidence with a more Slavic name.
When Latinized and brought over to England the name became Wenceslaus, famous for the Christmas carol of “Good King Wenceslas”, which references a 10th century Duke of Bohemia who was sainted by the Eastern Orthodox Church.