12 unique royal baby names - all about their secret meanings

Born on 6 May 2019, Prince Archie is the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Although Harry and Meghan were working royals at the time, they decided to choose the name Archie for their son, which hadn't previously been used by a royal.

The name, which was popular in the UK at the time of the royal's birth means 'genuine', 'bold' or 'brave'. When it came to Archie's middle name of Harrison, the name literally means 'Son of Harry'.

Harry and Meghan surprised many with their son's name, but no one was expecting the couple to give their daughter the childhood nickname that was used by Duke's late grandmother, the Queen. Although typically a nickname, Lilibet does have a meaning, which is 'God's promise'.

There are conflicting reports on how Her Late Majesty reacted to the news that Harry and Meghan had chosen her childhood nickname, with Robert Hardman saying the late monarch was "as angry as I'd ever see her". However, a spokesperson for the Sussexes insisted that the couple would not have used the name had the Queen not been 'supportive'.

Lilibet's middle name is in tribute to Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, something that Prince William also did with his only daughter, Princess Charlotte.

At the time of her birth on 15 May 1981, Zara was another name that hadn't seen usage within the British royal family. According to Zara's mother, Princess Anne, it was King Charles who came up the name due to the suddenness of Zara's birth. The Princess Royal quipped: "The baby made a rather sudden and positive arrival and my brother thought Zara was an appropriate name."

Although Zara doesn't carry a royal title, her moniker actually means 'princess'. The name can also mean 'shining', 'flower' and 'radiant'.

Young Sienna is the only child of Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and the name itself is also new to the royal family. However, it is a sweet tribute to Edoardo's Italian heritage, with the name hailing from the European country.

The name draws its roots from the Italian city of Siena, and is also a colour pigment which is generally a yellow-brown.

While the name Eugenie can be traced back to other British royals and was the name of one of Queen Victoria's granddaughters, the name had fallen out of usage by the time the royal was born in 1990.

The name's meaning certainly lends itself to royal heritage, meaning either 'well-born' or 'noble'.

Both of Peter Phillips's daughters have fairly unique names and both also have their links to the natural world. Isla literally means 'island' while Savannah is a reference to plainland.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain surprised many when they opted to name their eldest daughter Leonor in 2005. Although the name was popular with Spanish royals in the 15th century, it had fallen out of usage.

The name sweetly means 'light' or 'sunray'.

Sverre is not a name we'd see over here on a regular basis, but it is more popular in Sverre's home country of Norway. Sverre was named after a 12th century king who ruled from 1184 to 1202.

The name might be a cheeky reference to his mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit's previous lifestyle, with the moniker meaning 'wild', 'spinning' and 'swinging'.

Greek royal Achileas-Andreas has such a long name, that in his acting career he goes with the much shorter Achi Miller. Achileas derives from ancient history with the Greek warrior of Achilles and his famous heel, while Andreas simply means 'man'.

Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark caught several off guard with the name of their youngest daughter with the pair settling on Athena. The name comes from the Greek goddess of Wisdom, who was a daughter of Zeus.

Born in January 2024, Prince Balthazar of Luxembourg certainly boasts one of the most unique names within the royal family of the small European nation.

The name has Christian heritage and means 'Bel protects the King', and Balthazar was the name of one of the Three Wise Men who visited Jesus. Luxembourg is a Catholic nation and several of the royals also have biblical names including Prince Gabriel and Prince Noah.