Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Royal baby name: What Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana's name means

HRH Princess Charlotte of Cambridge's name decoded

Helen Nianias
Monday 04 May 2015 17:46 BST
Comments
Royal fans celebrate outside the Lindo wing at St Mary's hospital after the news is passed that the second royal baby is a girl
Royal fans celebrate outside the Lindo wing at St Mary's hospital after the news is passed that the second royal baby is a girl (AFP)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Just named, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana is sure to spark millions of copycats across the world.

But what exactly does her name mean?

Charlotte is the feminine version of the name "Charles", which means "manly" or "free man". Common abbreviations are Charlie and Lottie. Charlotte came in at number 21 on a list of the most popular girls' names in the UK for 2013.

Diana - the name of Prince William's mother, Lady Diana Spencer - is the name of the Roman hunting goddess. In Roman mythology, she was the goddess of the hunt as well as of childbirth and the moon. Like Elizabeth, it's not among the most popular girls' names, but that can't stay the same for long.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in