18 unique royal baby names and their special meanings - from Archie Harrison to Princess Estelle

Name meaning: Archie means ‘archer’ or ‘truly bold’. Harrison means ‘son of Harry.’

The son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Archie Harrison , has a very modern name. When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their new foundation name Archewelle, they revealed the decision by the name, saying: “Before SussexRoyal, came the idea of ‘Arche’ – the Greek word meaning ‘source of action’. We connected to this concept for the charitable organisation we hoped to build one day, and it became the inspiration for our son’s name.”

Name meanings: Amalia means ‘hardworking’, Ariane means ‘very holy’ and Alexia means ‘defender of the people.’

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands chose original names for their three daughters – and in Kardashian style – all beginning with the same letter. Catharina-Amalia – known as Amalia – was born in 2003, Alexia in 2005 and Ariane in 2007.

Name meaning: Isla means ‘island.’

Queen Elizabeth’s grandson Peter Philips and his Canadian-born estranged wife Autumn weren’t afraid to add a bit of modernity to the royal family when it comes to the name game. For their second daughter, born in 2012, they chose the very on-trend ‘Isla’.

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Name meaning: Savannah means ‘open plain.’

Peter and Autumn Phillips broke with British royal tradition and chose the name ‘Savannah’ when they welcomed their daughter, the Queen’s oldest great-grandchild, in 2010.

Name meaning: Talita is a version of Talitha which means ‘child.’

Grandmother Diane is a celebrated fashion designer, her maternal grandfather is billionaire Robert Warren Miller and her dad is the German prince Prince Alexander von Fürstenberg, so no wonder Princess Talita Von Furstenberg has a name that’s suitably exotic. The 21-year-old has modelled for Dolce & Gabbana and worked as a muse for DvF so we expect to be seeing her unusual name a lot more in the future.

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Name meaning: Maud means ‘battle might.’

Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her late husband Ari Behn paid homage to Martha Louise’s great-grandmother Queen Maud of Norway by calling their eldest daughter this in 2003. The little princess’s middle name ‘Angelica’ was also an original choice. Martha Louise and Ari Behn continued with surprise middle names with their other two daughters, naming them Leah Isadora and Emma Tallulah.

Name meaning: Liam means ‘with gilded helmet.’

Prince Felix and Princess Claire of Luxembourg chose this modern-sounding name for their baby son in 2016, the younger brother of Princess Amalia.

Name meaning: Raphael means ‘God has healed.’

The daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco, Charlotte Casiraghi , opted for the artistic name of Raphaël when she gave birth to her first son with then-boyfriend Gad Elmaleh in 2013.

Name meaning: Balthazar means ‘protect the king.’

Charlotte Casiraghi and her husband Dimitri Rassan also chose an interesting name for her second son, born in 2018. Although unusual, Balthazar does have royal connotations, as he was said to be one of the three kings who visited the baby Jesus in Bethlehem.

Name meaning: Achileas is similar to the name Achilles, meaning ‘pain’. Andreas means ‘manly’.

The son of Princess Marie-Chantal , the Greek prince, seen here with dad Prince Pavlos, refers to himself as ‘Achi of Greece’ on Instagram.

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Name meaning: Vincent means ‘victorious.’

Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander is the nine-year-old son of Prince Frederik and Princess Mary of Denmark and twin brother of Princess Josephine. His name could have been even more unique as bookmakers in Denmark had Old Norse names, Valdemar and Knud, as favourites during Mary’s pregnancy.

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Name meaning: Estelle means ‘star.’

Eight-year-old Estelle doesn’t share her name with any other princesses, past or present. It’s rumored that her parents, Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden, chose this unusual moniker to honour her distant relative, the humanitarian Estelle Bernadotte, who was a leading figure in the International Red Cross and Girl Scout movement in the 1950s and 60s.

Name meaning: Pauline means ‘small.’

Pauline is the moniker that Princess Stephanie of Monaco chose for her eldest daughter in 1994. The young lady is now carving a name for herself in the fashion world as well as representing Monaco in various diving championships.

Name meaning: Eugenie means ‘well-born.’

When Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew welcomed their second daughter in 1990, many people were surprised to learn the name they’d given her. Eugenie had been the name of one of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters, however the moniker had fallen out of fashion for many years.

Name meaning: Leonor means ‘light.’

The name Leonor was a popular name for European princesses in the 15th century but it fell out of favor until Felipe and Letizia of Spain resurrected it in 2005. Since then, it’s had a bit of a renaissance with Queen Mathilde of Belgium and Princess Madeleine of Sweden both choosing variations of it for their daughters.

Name meaning: “beloved child.”

Although the name Aiko is quite popular in Japan, this is the first princess to carry the moniker. Also, unusually, this was the first time the parents of the child chose the name rather than the then Emperor Akihito.

As the only child of the Emperor and Empress of Japan , the government was set to change the law, allowing females to inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne. However such plans were shelved when younger cousin Prince Hisahito was born in 2005.

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Name meaning: Sverre means ‘wild, swinging, spinning.’

It’s not the first time there’s been a Norwegian royal called Sverre, there was a 12th-century king with the same name. It’s unlikely that Sverre Magnus will be king himself, however, as his elder sister Princess Ingrid is set to ascend to the throne after her parents Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit .

Name meaning: Zara means ‘flower’ or ’princess.’

Zara is the daughter of Queen Elizabeth’s second child Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips. It was her uncle, Prince Charles , who helped choose the name. “The baby made a rather sudden and positive arrival,” Anne reportedly said, “And my brother thought Zara was an appropriate name.”