What’s in a Name? For Harry and Meghan’s Newborn Son, It’s a Lot!

LifestyleJuly 2, 2019

The birth of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son is probably one of the most, if not the most, anticipated event of 2019. Well, it seems most events in the lives of the famous couple are that way, because the same thing happened with their May 2018 wedding, as well as after the announcement of Meghan’s pregnancy. There is one more thing that the world braced for, the official announcement of the new royal’s name.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their first child together, a son, on May 6, news that Harry himself announced, appearing in-front of the waiting media. After he told them of the great news, he also informed that he would be seeing the press again after two days, to finally introduce his newborn son to the world.

Harry and Meghan showed off their son at St. George’s castle in Windsor, the parents looking really happy with the new arrival. While presenting their son to the Queen and Prince Philip, they finally announced his name – Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

Many questioned their choice for their son’s name, disappointing some who thought the name Spencer would be included somewhere, to honor Prince Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana. With this surprising choice, people couldn’t help but expresses their opinions and tried to discover why they went with this name.

Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll of Scotland

Let’s start with the name ‘Archie’ – as it turns out, the U.K. Office for National Statistics showed it’s the 18th most popular name, not just in England, but also in Wales in 2017. It has a German origin that means ‘truly brave’. The couple has not yet confirmed if it’s the legal name of their son or just short for the name Archibald, which is usually the case. If it is a nickname for Archibald, then it’s possible they could have taken it from an ancestor of Princess Diana’s, the 9th Earl of Argyll of Scotland, Archibald Campbell.

Harrison has a more understandable explanation, because the name with English and Aboriginal origin means ‘son of Harry’. As for the ‘Mountbatten-Windsor’ tag, the last name is applied to the queen’s male descendants from sons, who have not been given royal titles, although Prince William has used it.