Alice, Alexandra, Henry, Philip: Bets On The Royal Baby’s Name In England Is An Official Gamble
Traditionally, there are names that the Royal family of England are far more likely to choose for their children than others. That’s true of all people, by the way; people of certain socioeconomic statuses are far more likely to name their children certain names than others, and there’s a science to it that deals with things like famous people association, the classic nature of names, the ease with which the name is announced, and ethnicity.
Factors such as age and education of the mother even play into the likelihood of a baby being named certain names. Research shows that teenage girls are about five times as likely to name their baby girl “Neveah” (which is “Heaven” spelled backwards) and women with a college degree are far more likely to give their child a “yuppie” name, such as Emma or Jack.
Unique names are not likely to ever be given to a royal child because the family values tradition and is about 10 times as likely to use the name of a former Royal in history. A unique name would include one that was “invented” — not used traditionally as a name before — and/or one that breaks socioeconomic norms of naming trends. While it would be rare indeed for Kate Middleton and Prince William’s child to be named something that strayed from those categories, what is not unique is the betting that goes on in England regarding what the royal baby shall be named.
Kate Middleton is thought to be due to give birth to her second child within the next two to three weeks, and traditionally, even after the baby is born, the only information released to the public for two or three days will be the child’s sex at birth and the date of birth, which will be announced by a placard that is placed on the front gates of the royal palace.
The bets in England have highly favored “Alice” as the child’s name if the child is a female. Alice is a traditional royal name, having been used several times in the past 200 years. One name that people are actually betting the baby will not be named: Camilla. This is likely due to the fact that Prince William’s father is said to have had a long-time affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles, who he married after he and Princess Diana divorced.
How is the betting accomplished? Through official means — the U.K.-based, online betting company Betfair announced last week that the name Alice has overtaken the name Elizabeth as the most popular bet for William and Kate to name their next child. Bookmaker William Hill also reports Alice is a clear favorite, at odds of four-to-one, followed by Elizabeth, Charlotte, and Victoria, according to People magazine.
