While it might be tempting to choose fictional princess names for your daughter like Ariel, Aurora, Thumbelina, or Buttercup, there are plenty of real-life princesses with great names to take inspiration from. We decided to look at some of the living royalty today as inspiration for princess baby names. Most of these names have been given to noble baby girls in the past few decades, so these are about as fresh as princess names get!
Now, we must not that princess names are not like the baby names we, mere peasants possess. No, these names often include several middle names to complete the title which have also used for inspiration on this list. For instance, Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark bears Maria-Olympia. For our purposes, we pulled Olympia as it is the most exciting element of the name. It’s time to put a crown on it! Here are 25 princess baby names for girls inspired by real-life royalty.
25. Victoria
Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden is the heir apparent to the Swedish throne. Victoria has a long history as a noble name with many European royals possessing the moniker in some form or fashion. Victoria has Latin origins and means “victory.” You can’t go wrong with this princess name!
24. Charlotte
Now the name of the young Princess of Cambridge, Charlotte is a name that has belonged to a number of royals as well. While the name sounds decidedly English, it comes from French as a form of Charles, a name meaning “free man.” Charlotte is a top 10 name today in the US.
23. Olympia
As promised, we greet Olympia, currently a name held by a Princess of Greece and Denmark. Olympia is a Greek name, of course, meaning “from Mount Olympus.” Olympia has not been popular in the US for over 100 years! Let’s change that, new parents! It’s a fabulous princess name.
22. Marcela
Princess Alexia of the Netherlands was given the name Alexia Juliana Marcela Laurentien at birth in 2005. We love the name Marcela which can also be spelled, Marcella. Marcela has Latin origins and means “warlike.” Sadly, Marcella and Marcela are two names that are no longer in the top US 1000 baby names.
21. Amalia
Amalia is a widely cross-cultural name, heard from Italy to Romania, Germany to Scandinavia. The current heir to the Dutch throne is Princess Catharina-Amalia of Orange. Amalia is a name with German origins that means “work,” and it is closely related to the extremely popular name, Amelia. Amalia is on the rise and is tracking to enjoy its most favor ever in the US in coming years.
20. Astrid
Astrid Joséphine-Charlotte Fabrizia Elisabeth Paola Marie is known by her title, Princess Astrid of Belgium. Astrid is a gorgeously blunt Scandinavian name that’s trending up in the US, more popular today than ever before. Astrid’s Scandinavian origins mean “divinely beautiful.” You can’t argue with that meaning!
19. Khadija
Princess Lalla Khadija of Morocco was born in 2007 and given a striking name, don’t you think? We love Khadija, an Arabic name that means “premature baby.” The Prophet Muhammad’s first wife and the first convert to Islam had this mesmerizing princess name.
18. Gabriella
Gabriella is the feminine form of Gabriel, a name derived from the Hebrew Gavri’el. Gavri’el is composed of the elements gever, meaning “strong,” and ’el, referring to God. In contemporary America, it is one of the most beloved names for girls. Princess Gabriella, Countess of Carladès, is the daughter of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene born in 2014. We love her princess name!
17. Anastasia
Anastasia is no longer a severe, regal Russian name, but is now seen as a viable, and increasingly popular, American option. The name belonged to the “lost” daughter of the last Russian czar. Although beloved in Russia, this name has Greek origins and means “resurrection.”
16. Sophie
If you threw a stick at a group of royals, which we would not recommend, there’s a great chance that one of them will have Sophie in her name. As far as princess names go, Sophie has belonged to a number of European ones for centuries. Princess Sophie of the Netherlands, Princess Sophie of Hohenberg, Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, and Princess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach are but a few examples.
Sophie is the French form of Sophia, a Greek name that means “wisdom.”
15. Juliana
Juliana is one of America’s most beloved names and it is more popular today than ever before. The name has Latin origins and is related to the name Julius, so it should come as no surprise that this princess name is a royal favorite. Juliana of the Netherlands would go on to become queen and is one of the most famous examples with this name. The name means “youthful.”
14. Irene
Irene is a royal name in Greece, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Princess Irene of the Netherlands was daughter to Queen Juliana, who we just mentioned. Irene is a Greek name that means “peace” and you will sometimes pronounced with three syllables around Europe. It’s trending down in the US, but may that only motivate you more to choose this unique appellation.
13. Leonore
The name of one of the young princesses of Sweden, Leonore carries the gravity of Eleanor with a more quirky charm. Eleanor has come back in a big way becoming more popular than ever while Leonore fell off the charts in 1920. That makes Leonore a logical alternative to Eleanor. The meaning of this princess name is unknown!
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12. Enrica
Enrica is the female form of Enrico, the Italian form of Henry. This charmer means “estate ruler.” We paired this name here because Enrica is part of Countess Leonore of Orange-Nassau’s name Leonore Marie Irene Enrica (that’s three names you will find on this list). The countess was born in 2006. We hope this name takes off in the US!
11. Athena
The given name Athena was taken from the city name Athens, which is of unknown origins. In Greek mythology, Athena is the name of the daughter of Zeus who was the goddess of wisdom, warfare, handicrafts, courage, and much more. Athena Marguerite Françoise Marie is also known as Princess Athena of Denmark. She was born in 2012! Perhaps we have this little royal to thank for helping this name take off again in recent years.
10. Fabiola
Eléonore Fabiola Victoria Anne Marie is the Princess of Belgium born in 2008. However, she was not the only princess with the name colorful name Fabiola. Queen Fabiola of Belgium also had the romantic name which means “bean grower.” Of all the princess names on this list, Fabiola has got to be one of the most unique!
9. Maxima
Queen Máxima became the first Argentine-born Queen Consort in history in 2013. As you probably guessed, Maxima is a form of the Latin name Maximus which means “greatest.” Unfortunately, parents in the US have strayed from this high-pressure name. We love it and hope new parents see potential in this delightful princess name.
8. Leila
Leila Pahlavi was a princess of Iran who tragically passed away in 2001. Leila has been an exceedingly popular name in the US in recent years and has almost hit its peak popularity in 1880. Keep that momentum going, parents! Leila has Arabic origins and means “night.”
7. Estelle
Estelle is a girl’s name of French origin meaning “star.” Which seems so bright! Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary is Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Östergötland, second in line to the Swedish throne. Estelle fell from popularity in the middle of the 20th century but it is on the climb once more!
6. Maud
As a British royal name, Maud was the daughter of the youngest daughter of King Edward VII and granddaughter of Queen Victoria, who went on to become Queen of Norway. It’s a very popular princess name for Norwegian and English royals! Maud is a variation of Matilda, a German name that means “battle-mighty.”
5. Tallulah
Tallulah is a girl’s name of Irish origin that means “lady of abundance.” Tallulah Grace Lascelles, born in 2005, is the great, great, granddaughter of King George V and in line to the British throne. Outside the UK, the name also can be found in certain Native American traditions meaning “leaping water.” Unfortunately, this princess name has never become popular in the US.
4. Anne
Anne was the name of six queens of England, two of them wives of Henry VIII, as well as the name of the present Queen Elizabeth’s only daughter, Princess Anne (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise). Anne has dipped in popularity in the US in recent years, but it has historically been one of America’s favorite baby names for girls.
3. Beatrice
The Duke and Duchess of York, aka Fergie and Prince Andrew, thrust Beatrice back into the public eye when they chose it for their older daughter in 1988. Of all the princess names, Beatrice is one of those that is most beloved. Queens, princesses, baronesses, and more have all had this Latin name which means “blessed.”
2. Elizabeth / Elisabeth
We could simply point to Queen Elizabeth and be done with it, but we think we should venture outside of the English monarchy for a moment as well. Elisabeth Farnese,
Queen consort of Philip V of Spain and Elisabeth Gabriele Valérie Marie of Bavaria, Queen consort of Albert I of Belgium are just a couple royal examples and there are tons of princesses and duchesses with this moniker as well.
Elizabeth and Elisabeth might just be the two princess names to beat as they have long been a favorite among all sorts of royals. The name has Hebrew origins and means “pledged to God.”
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1. Zaria
Zaria Nicoline Milou Countess of Orange, Nassau, born in 2006, daughter of Prince Friso of the Netherlands. Zaria is the perfect princess name in that it sounds fresh and new while still maintaining a sense of nobility and strength. Zaria has Arabic origins and means “rose.” It’s the sweetest meaning on this list!
There you go! We hope you enjoyed these 25 princess names and find that they sound just as appealing for your baby princess! Most of these names are established classics so they will attract many new parents. Be bold and pick a vintage favorite that’s gone out of style like Maud or spice it up with options like Zaria or Tallulah.