The countdown is well and truly on with only a few short months to go until Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan welcome their first child.
From Baby Sussex’s weight to the day he or she will be born, the bookies have been inundated with bets on the royal baby and when it comes to names, people have plenty of ideas.
Some say Harry and Meghan will opt for something classic, while others think the name will have a hint of California coolness. But if you want a little more evidence, we’ve rounded up what the good people at Sportsbet.com.au have to say.
Top girls’ names
Coming out on top for Baby Sussex’s name is Diana, and no prizes for guessing why they’d pick that one.
“To date, Diana has been the best backed of the girls name at $9.00,” says Sportsbet’s Rich Hummerston.
Diana is one of Princess Charlotte’s middle names and since Prince Harry had a close bond with his mother, who died when he was just 12 years old, naming his first child in her honour would be the ultimate tribute.
WATCH: Prince Harry calls Princess Diana his ultimate role model. Post continues…
Coming in second and third place, respectively, are traditional names Alice at $14.00 and Grace at $16.00.
Back when Duchess Catherine was pregnant with Princess Charlotte, Alice was one of the front-runner names as it was the name of one of Queen Victoria’s daughters and Prince Philip’s mother.
Of course the most famous royal Grace was the former American film star Grace Kelly who went on to become Princess of Monaco. A Hollywood actress who joined the royal family? Sounds familiar…
Sportsbet tell us that they’ve taken more money on girls names than boys names but seeing as even Harry and Meghan don’t know what the gender will be, we guess we shall just have to wait and see if the bets turn out to be true.
Check out the full list below, via Sportsbet! Story continues after…
$9 Diana
$14 Alice
$16 Grace
$16 Victoria
$18 Alexandra
$18 Elizabeth
$18 Frances
$21 Rachel
$30 Harriet
$31 Sophia
$34 Cecilia
$34 Matilda
$36 Margaret
$36 Mary
$36 Mathilde
$46 Patricia
$51 Amalia
$51 Anne
$51 Beatrice
$67 Emily
$67 Florence
$67 Olivia
$67 Sophie
$71 Augusta
$71 Gertrude
$71 Helena
$71 Marie
$71 Maud
$81 Carol
$81 Susan
$82 Louise
$121 Eugenie
$121 Kylie
$121 Sibylla
$211 Theresa
Will it be a little girl for Harry and Meghan? (Image: Getty Images)
Top boys’ names
It’s unlikely that Harry and Meghan’s child will ever be king, but if they have a son, the bookies predict the regal name Arthur for top spot.
Arthur is also the name of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews’ son born late last year so if they pick that one, they’ll be keeping it in the family… sort of.
In second place is Edward, the name of Harry’s uncle, and close behind is James, though there’s one other regal name that’s standing out.
“Arthur is the shortest of the boys names, but Philip has been the best backed of the boys names,” says Sportsbet’s Rich Hummerston.
“Our market is driven largely by the UK bookies but Australians have been coming for the name Philip in droves, far more than punters in the UK who are incredibly keen on Arthur.”
Keep scrolling for the full list of boys’ names, via Sportsbet! Story continues after…
$12 Arthur
$16 Edward
$16 James
$18 Alexander
$21 Philip
$27 Oliver
$31 Henry
$31 Spencer
$31 Winston
$34 Hodgey
$36 Albert
$36 Frederick
$36 Richard
$51 Alastair
$51 Alfred
$51 Andrew
$51 Jack
$52 Theodore
$55 Harry
$67 Augustus
$67 David
$67 Thomas
$71 Carlos
$71 Christian
$71 George
$71 Hubert
$71 John
$71 Robert
$71 Shane
$81 Charles
$81 Victor
$81 William
$101 Louis
$101 Neale
$121 Ernest
$121 Gregory
$121 Leopold
$121 Mark
$121 Michael
$121 Rory
$201 Barry
$201 Bradley
$201 Jamie
$201 Joffrey
$201 Rhys
$201 Tyrone
$251 Jesus
$251 Niall
$251 Patrick
$301 Thanos
$301 Thor
$501 Boris
$501 Buddha
$501 Denny
$501 Donald
$501 Ganesha
$501 Genghis
$501 Jed
$501 Muhammad
Blue for a boy? Meghan and Harry matched when they visited Tonga shortly after announcing the pregnancy. (Image: Getty Images)
Could Harry and Meghan surprise us all?
We can speculate all we want but something tells us that Harry and Meghan will pull something wild and different out of the park. Even Will and Kate did so after their last royal baby was born.
It took four whole days for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to reveal Prince Louis’ full name, and it seems everyone was thrown by the less expected choice.
Sportsbet even said that the name won at a price of $19 and was sixth favourite.
“With the last Royal Baby, ‘at $19 Louis’ wasn’t even in the top five in the market, so we won’t be surprised if we see another rank outsider come April.”
At least it wasn’t Albert, we say.
We at Now To Love HQ reckon the world is going to be shocked by the Apple or North West royal equivalent and have rounded up our favourite unconventional names, but for now we’ll just have to twiddle our thumbs and wait.
The countdown is on for Baby Sussex! (Image: Getty Images)
Want more on the royal baby? Check out these gems
The real reason why Duchess Meghan cradles her baby bump
All the signs that Meghan Markle is having a baby girl
Duchess Meghan Markle’s best maternity fashion moments
Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry reveal their due date
Royal baby album: Here’s what Meghan and Harry looked like as babies
The surprising way Duchess Meghan’s hair has changed throughout her pregnancy
What will Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry’s royal baby title be?
Everything Prince Harry has said about the royal baby
Why Duchess Meghan will be the total opposite of Duchess Catherine when she gives birth
