Oh, Romeo... what's in a name?

A new member of the Beckham entertainment dynasty entered the world yesterday, weighing 7lbs 4oz. His name is Romeo.

The pop singer Victoria Beckham, 28, was admitted to the Portland Hospital in London early yesterday and, on medical advice, gave birth by Caesarean section at 9.40am.

Shortly after midday, her husband, David, the England football captain, announced the birth to the press and described his baby as "gorgeous".

The name was a surprise, not least because tabloid newspapers had suggested it would be Paris. The Beckhams called their first son Brooklyn after the New York borough in which he was conceived.

For clues as to Romeo, football fans reached for their Champions' League listings to trace when Beckham was last seen in Rome. Others wondered if the couple had canoodled in a town called Romeo, not far from Detroit.

Literalists ascribed the name to Shakespeare's suitor, while music buffs suggested the Beckhams ­ known for their love of garage ­ would have named him after Romeo Dunn of So Solid Crew. Last night, MC Romeo, of the garage band, predicted the new Beckham would be "a hit with the ladies", in reference to his own self-professed popularity at school, where he was nicknamed Romeo.

Grinning outside the hospital, the Manchester United player said: "It's always nervous having children but it's the most beautiful thing in the world. Romeo's gorgeous. Victoria's great." He added: "Romeo looks like Brooklyn. He's got Brooklyn's nose and Victoria's chin."

Brooklyn, who is now three, was said by his father to have been with his mother in the final stages of the operation.