Wee Prince George is one week old today. I dug out my baby-name bible, “Choose Your Baby’s Name” by Rosalind Fergusson, first published in 1987 but which I bought in 1992 (no prizes for guessing why). Here’s what the royal names mean.
George: from the Greek georgos, “tiller of the soil” or “farmer”. Also, of course, the patron saint of England.
Alexander: from Greek, meaning “defender of men” [and women too, we hope].
Louis: from the Old German name Chlodovech, the meaning of which is generally interpreted as “famous warrior”.
Not a bad combination for a future king: taking care of the nation’s land while defending its people. And – for the latter purpose only, we hope –, being good on the battlefield too.
William and Kate no doubt had plenty to issues to consider in their choice of names, but at least they didn’t have to deal with those encountered by bilingual families. About which, more later.
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