Princess Eugenie’s Baby Name Is Here
Princess Eugenie’s baby name has finally been announced, and it was worth the wait: August Philip Hawke.
Hawke? That’s a new one for a royal baby, but it’s a family name on the side of the baby’s father, Jack Brooksbank.
The baby boy, born February 9, was named for his great grandfather, Prince Philip, and his great x 5 grandfathers x 5 on both sides of the family, the couple announced.
The baby’s first name August, an Ancient Roman name meaning “great”, is taken from one of the middle names of Queen Victoria’s husband, who is Princess Eugenie’s great x 5 grandfather: Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel.
Philip, a New Testament name that means “lover of horses”, is Greek in origin. Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth’s husband and Duke of Edinburgh, was born a member of the Greek and Danish royal families.
Hawke, which of course relates to the bird, may have originated as a occupational surname of someone who worked with hawks or may have been a nickname for someone with a wild or cruel disposition, according to surname site House of Names.
The baby’s second middle name Hawke pays tribute to Jack Brooksbank’s great x 5 grandfather Reverend Edward Hawke Brooksbank.
We have a winner in Nameberry’s Name Guru to the Stars contest on Instagram to guess the royal baby’s name: @gabriellecarolina. Congratulations!
The couple have followed what’s become a fashion modern practice of looking deep into the family tree to find names, including middle names and surnames, that fit the style of the contemporary world.
August is a trending name in the US and, to a lesser degree, in the UK, though its use as a royal baby name is sure to send it higher in the chart. August ranks at Number 167 in the US and all the way down at 741 in the UK. It has international appeal, with its highest ranking Number 14 in Denmark.
The Roman emperor Augustus leant his name to the month August. Other celebrities with little boys named August include Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann. August is the first name of two famous playwrights, Strindberg and Wilson.
Common nicknames for August are Gus and Augie.