Our Baby Name Picks for Meghan and Harry’s Daughter

Once again we’ve got our minds on royal baby names! In Sunday night’s dramatic interview with Oprah, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they will have a baby girl this summer. Harry and Meghan’s daughter will join older brother Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, whose name announcement was a shock to us all. While we expected them to go classic/vintage, we were surprised by the casual nickname style of Archie and the playfulness of Harrison (literally, “Harry’s son”). 

For this list, we did things a little differently. Instead of choosing the names together, we made our lists separately and then shared them with each other. To no one’s surprise, we had some overlap. But it’s also interesting where we differed. So we decided to share it all with you (think: a wordy venn diagram). And of course, we invite you to chime in with your top picks for the baby royal.

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Star’s Picks

I still like several of the names that were on our list for the Sussexes’ first baby:

• Cecilia/Cecily
• Dorothea/Dorothy
• Eliza 
• Josephine 
• Mae 
• Matilda

Of these, Dorothea, or Dorothy, stands out as a great tribute name to Meghan’s mother Doria. And I like shortened-form Thea, or even Dottie, as a sister to Archie. 

Matilda is a name that has a similar profile to Archie: It’s very popular in the UK, though still uncommon in the US, and it lends itself to the nickname “Tilly,” which is just sibset perfection alongside Archie.

My favorite pick from our previous list, Audre, doesn’t make an appearance here. I just think it’s too similar to Archie when said aloud. But would I still be thrilled if they picked it? Absolutely.

I’m adding new names to my list this time around, too, now that I know the name of baby #1:

• Adelaide
• Agatha
• Celeste
• Della
• Edith
• Freya
• Genevieve
• Greta
• Ida
• Imogen
• Jacqueline
• Josephine
• Mabel
• Maisie
• Margot
• Marina
• Maude
• Nellie
• Rosie 
• Sienna
• Tessa

Yes, I’m feeling M-names. I didn’t even realize it until I went to put them in alpha order, but there they are. 

For this baby, I’d love to see something more buttoned up, but with an intuitive nickname option. Like a Genevieve that goes by Evie, or a Josephine that goes by Jo. Jacqueline may appeal to Meghan’s fashion icon side, and if there’s anyone that can revive Jackie for 2021, it’s this couple.

I also think a vintage name would pair nicely with Archie. Mabel, Imogen, Edith, and Freya are significantly more popular in the UK than the US, which lends them a freshness for an American-born baby. Della or Maude would be refreshingly trend forward for a royal baby.

Sienna and Marina feel very California to me, though Sienna is much more popular in the UK. Greta oozes Old Hollywood charm and has a modern activist association in Greta Thunberg that might appeal to the Sussexes.

If they go for another nickname-style first name, I like Rosie, Maisie, or Nellie.

For the middle–I know I’m in the minority here–I don’t think they’ll use Diana. I do think they’ll choose something to gesture toward her, though. I’d like to see a “word name” or virtue name that encompasses an object or trait that reminds them of Diana. Something like Pearl, which nods to her famous love of pearl jewelry, or Grace/Hope/Charity. Or maybe a name with a similar meaning to Diana (divinity/the moon/Roman goddess), like Selene. 

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Lynda’s Picks

I also still liked some of our picks for baby #1.

• Alice
• Cecilia
• Eleanor
• Eliza
• Matilda

Unsurprisingly, these names are classics that all have royal connections (save for Cecilia). Eliza sticks out in particular because, despite the family drama, Meghan and Harry still appear to have a loving relationship with the long-reigning monarch. While I’m not betting on it, I’m not discounting it, either. Also, Eliza fits stylistically with Archie, while still feeling posh. 

Other repeats are Alice (Harry’s great grandmother’s name) and Eleanor (another queenly name). These two names lend themselves to nicknames that fit with Archie, with Ally and Ellie/Nora/Elle as possibilities, while maintaining a traditional feel that is fitting in the House of Windsor. 

Matilda is another favorite on both of our lists.

Here is my full list of other picks:

• Ada
• Agathe
• Carys
• Clara
• Clio
• Edie
• Elise
• Esme
• Felicity
• Greer
• Hattie
• Imogen
• Isadora
• Isolde
• Mira
• Philippa
• Philomena
• Rosamund
• Rowan
• Sadie
• Theodora

I put in a few other names that harken to family ties on Harry’s side: Elise, as a diminutive of Elizabeth, and Philippa and Philomena as diminutives of Philip (though I think Philippa less likely as it’s the name of Kate Middleton’s younger sister, better known to the world as Pippa).

Then there’s Hattie–another nod to Harry, as a diminutive of Harriet or Henrietta. It’s a name that feels very English to me while rising in popularity amongst English-speaking countries, including America where Baby Girl Sussex will undoubtedly be born. 

In all this, however, we cannot forget Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland. If the couple goes with an honor name for Meghan’s mother, there are some beautiful names that would update and honor her, including Isadora and Theodora, which both have the vintage vibe that’s rising in popularity. (Also, nicknames Issa and Thea? I LOVE.)

And then of course, there’s the elephant in the room: Diana. While many people may be taking bets on this being the #1 name choice, I think it’s highly likely that they will use it as a middle name instead of a first. Princess Diana’s legacy and the tragedy of her early death are too much to put on a newborn baby and could stir up even more tabloid drama.

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So we’re loving a lot of the same names for this royal baby-to-be. We both had Agatha/Agathe, Cecilia, Eliza, Imogen, and Matilda on our lists, and Lynda’s Edie could be short for Star’s Edith, while Star’s Rosie could be short for Lynda’s Rosamund. 

The Wild Cards

And that leads us to the names we secretly wish for, even if unlikely. One of our wild card picks for Archie, August, was just chosen by Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. So even if Meghan and Harry don’t choose one of these, other princes and princesses out there, take note! 

• Star: Araminta. It’s the given name of Harriet Tubman, which gives it some history even in its rarity. And what a perfect namesake for this activist couple and their mixed-race child. It also feels vaguely regal and offers the nickname Minty, which sends my heart racing when paired with Archie.
• Lynda: Allegra. It’s an Italian name that means “joyful or happy,” a feeling brought about by the birth of a new baby. But to the Sussexes, perhaps a nod too to breaking free of “the firm” and forging their own paths in life, despite the heartache of family conflict. And it was apparently a favorite of Princess Diana’s!
• Star and Lynda: Tallulah. It’s a little wild, a little Hollywood, and totally unexpected. Archie and Lulu? Yes, please.
• Star and Lynda: Kit. Bea. Dot. Billie. Betty. or any other cool mid-century “nickname name.” We’re not holding our breath, but we can dream.

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Well those are our name picks for Meghan and Harry’s daughter! What are yours? You can share your favorites in the comments any time between now and the birth of the baby. We’ll include your guesses in our update post after baby girl Mountbatten-Windsor’s name is announced this summer! And if you are just loving royal names, don’t forget to check out our Royal Character Names list!