A Father Wants To Name His Son After The Queen, But Reddit Is Begging Him Not To

Sarah Kester
Cute baby
Unsplash | Colin Maynard

Decisions, decisions. That’s like 99 percent of a parent’s duties, starting with the very first big decision: naming their child. 

Some parents make a royal mistake with this by naming their children “Karen” or some other name that a celebrity would probably use (looking at you, Gwyneth Paltrow). 

So when a father took to Reddit to share his worries about naming his son after Queen Elizabeth, people certainly had thoughts.

Surprise, surprise: there’s royal protocol when it comes to naming a baby born into the royal family. 

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Unsplash | Nathan Mcgregor

The first rule is that most of the children don’t have a surname. Think for a moment about what Prince Harry and Prince Williams's last name is.

You don't know it, do you? That’s because most of the kids don’t have surnames. 

name tags
Unsplash | Jon Tyson

For example, Prince William and Kate William’s children are referred to as Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Since they have no ironclad last name, they go by their parent’s new title, Prince and Princess of Wales.

This means they go by George, Louis, and Charlotte Wales at school.

Baby with crown
Giphy | Disney

The second rule is that royal babies, especially those at the top of the line for the throne, have at least three names. For example, the late Queen Elizabeth’s full name was Elizabeth Alexandra Mary.

Charles’ is Charles Philip Arthur George, William’s is William Arthur Philip Louis, and Harry’s is Henry Charles Albert David. 

Prince Charles smiling
Giphy

“Babies born into the royal family are typically given multiple names at birth, many of which honor members of their family,” according to The Independent.

The same rule doesn't apply to everyone in the royal family.  

Baby in blanket
Unsplash | Jonathan Borba

“The further down the line of succession, the more likely you are to have a more unique or untraditional name,” says Carolyn Harris, author of Raising Royalty: 1,000 Years of Royal Parenting.

A good example of this is Princess Eugenie.

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Unsplash | Pro Church Media

What about naming your child after the late Queen? Prince Harry and Meghan Markle already named their daughter after the late Queen: Lilibet 'Lili' Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. The history of this dates back to the Queen’s childhood.

She reportedly couldn’t pronounce her name. 

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry smiling
Giphy | euronews

Then, the queen reportedly left a handwritten note on her father, King George VI’s, coffin and signed it "Lilibet." 

Speaking of naming your child after the Queen, that’s exactly what one man on Reddit wants to do. 

He took to the subreddit r/namenerds to share his thoughts. 

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Unsplash | Markus Spiske

“My great grandfather’s name was Royal. Wife and I are thinking about naming our son Royal with this in mind,” he began.

“We’re from the south and if strikes me as an interesting strong southern name, certainly a name one would remember. I think it’s rad, my wife is on the fence but is considering it.”

His concern, however, is that the name sounds “douchey, sort of like naming your child Lexus or Rich.”

 Queen Elizabeth II visits a new maternity ward at the Lister Hospital on June 14, 2012 in Stevenage, England. The Queen is on a two day tour of the East Midlands as part of her Diamond Jubilee tour of the country.
Getty | Chris Jackson

“I definitely don’t want to saddle my son with something he hates, but I know of certain folks with unique names and it gives them a type of gravitas, especially if there is an actual connection to something.”

Many people in the comments echoed his same concerns.

Man saying "noo"
Giphy | Late Night with Seth Meyers

"Yeah, it's too much," one wrote. "You gotta be a certain type of person to wear Royal proudly. Some kids might love having that name, others might hate it. It’s a coin toss, something to think about," another added.

"Reminds me of something a Kardashian would name their child. It’s a no from me!" a third wrote.

Kim Kardashian on SNL
Giphy | Saturday Night Live

Some recommended that he make "Royal" his son's middle name.

"I second this. It’s an awesome family name, but I think it definitely falls into the “douche-y” grey space OP is worried about as a first name," another wrote.

Check out more comments here!