Princess Names
One of my embarrassing little obsessions is princess names. The whole idea of royalty, in these modern times, is kind of embarrassing. And then there’s the issue of encouraging your daughter to aspire to be a princess rather than, say, a doctor or an astronaut. For more on this, check out Peggy Orenstein’s great piece from the New York Times, “What’s Wrong With Cinderella?” and her bestselling book, Cinderella Ate My Daughter.
The fact, in our experience, is that most little girls go through a phase of wanting to be princesses whether you encourage them to or not. And there’s a lot of great name inspiration to be found in the world of royalty.
The most obvious place to start is with names that mean princess — for the most part limited to Sarah and her variations. Sara, Sera, Sarai, Sadie, Soraya, and Zadie are all possibilities. A British “glamour model” named her daughter Princess, though we don’t recommend this.
Another source for princess names is fictional: fairy tales, legends, and the art of Walt Disney. Some ideas:
Ariel — The Little Mermaid, princess of an undersea world, has already inspired many namesakes.
Aurora — One of the “real” names of Sleeping Beauty.
Fiona — The princess from Shrek, a great role model though a little girl might feel ambivalent about carrying her name.
Giselle — The heroine played by Amy Adams in Enchanted.
Jasmine — The name of the princess in Aladdin gave rise to a generation of real-life girls named Jasmine (and Jazmyn, Yasmina, et al)
Kilala — A Japanese fantasy/romance manga princess whose story plays out against her Disney counterparts.
Sasami — Japanese anime character who is a princess of Jurai.
Signy — Princess heroine of an Icelandic fairy tale who lives inside a giant oak tree.
Tiana — Disney’s first black princess.
Vasilissa — Meaning “queen” in Greek, Vasilissa is the heroine of a Russian fairy tale who starts out as a poor girl and ends up marrying the king.
Zelda — Princess in the popular Legend of Zelda video game.
Better inspiration might be found via the real little princesses of the world, with their string of four or five names for some poor future spouse to stumble over at the royal wedding. A selection of those born over the past decade or so:
Aiko — Japan
Alexandra Charlotte Ulrike Maryam Virginia — Hanover
Alexia Juliana Marcela Laurentien — Netherlands
Amelia — Greece
Anastasia “Anna” Margriet Josephine – Netherlands
Ariane Wilhelmina Maxima Ines — Netherlands
Arrietta — Greece
Catharina–Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria – Netherlands
Elisabeth Thérèse Marie Hélène of Belgium
Eleonore Fabiola Victoria Anne Marie – Belgium
Eloise Sophie Beatrix Laurence — Netherlands
Emma Luana Ninette Sophie (Luana) — Netherlands
Felicia Juliana Benedicte Barbara — Netherlands
Ingrid Alexandra Irma Astrid Benedikte — Denmark
Irene — Spain
Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe — Denmark
Isabella Lily Juliana – Netherlands
Joanna Zaria Nicoline Milou (Zaria) — Netherlands
Leonor — Spain
Leonore Marie Irene Enrica — Netherlands
Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary— Great Britain
Magali Margriet Eleonoor — Netherlands
Sofia – Spain
What’s your favorite? What are some princess-worthy names and combinations that haven’t yet been attached to real royal babies? Let us know!