Reporter: “Hi, congratulations. Thanks for taking the time out. I know you guys are — must be really, really busy, but Meghan, can you tell us what it’s like becoming a new mom and tell us a little bit about Baby Sussex as we’re calling him.” “It’s magic. It’s pretty amazing and, I mean, I have the two best guys in the world. So I’m really happy.” Reporter: “Tell us a little bit about your son. What’s he like? Is he sleeping well? Good baby?” “Yes, he has the sweetest temperament. He’s really calm and —” “Wonder who he gets that from?” “And he’s been, he’s just been the dream, so it’s been a special couple days.” Reporter: “Who does he take after? Does he look like anyone?” “We are still trying to figure that out.” “Everyone says that babies change so much over two weeks. We’re basically sort of monitoring how the changing process happens over this next month really, but he’s changing, his looks are changing every single day. So who knows?” Reporter: “And how are you finding parenting generally? Is it still a special moment?” “Yeah it’s great, I mean parenting is amazing. It’s only been what? Two and a half days, three days.” “Yeah.” “But we’re just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy here to spend some precious times with him as he slowly, slowly starts to grow up.” Reporter: “And I hear you’re off to see two special people in a minute.” “Yes.” “The queen and the duke.” “Yes and we just bumped into the duke as we were walking by, which was so nice. So it will be a nice moment to introduce the baby to more family, and my mom is with us as well. So it has been a really — here we go.” “Another great-grandchild.” Reporter: “Can we have a little peek at him? We just can’t quite see his face. Wow.” “He’s already got a little bit of facial hair as well. Wonderful. Guys, thank you.” “Thank you all so much. Thank you.” “And thank you everybody for the well wishes and the kindness. It just means so much. Thank you. Thank you.”<doc-sep>Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pose with their newborn son Prince Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle on May 8, 2019, in Windsor, England. The wait is over, and the world now knows the name of the newest member of England's Royal Family: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The name is a unique one for the new baby boy who is seventh in line for the throne. Unlike his cousins' names, the new baby's moniker isn't drawn directly from the family tree. Archie ranks as the eighteenth-most popular baby name in England and as the 1,182nd-most popular baby name in the United States, birthplace of mother Meghan Markle. "By English standards, this is an incredibly normal name," said Laura Wattenberg, author of "The Baby Name Wizard: A Magical Method for Finding the Perfect Name for Your Baby" (Harmony, Revised Edition, 2013). And that normalcy, Wattenberg said, is a statement in and of itself. Baby names: Who cares? The royals announced the baby's name today (May 7) on Instagram. The question of what Markle and Prince Harry's child would be named has been of intense interest — it's even the subject of wagering, with bookies giving Spencer strong odds ahead of the announcement, according to The Telegraph. (Spencer was the maiden name of Princess Diana, Harry's late mother). Names are typically the subject of interest because they're rich symbols, Wattenberg told Live Science. "They pack so much information into a few letters, sending signals about age, sex, religion, class, ethnicity, culture, values, and of course, style," she said. This is especially true because names have become increasingly tailor-made for parents and their hopes for their children over time. In the United States, for example, 40% of boys got one of the country's top-10 names in the 1880s. By 2007, the top 10 boy names covered less than 10% of new baby boys. In that sense, baby names convey information about their parents' values and attitudes. For example, a 2018 analysis of the Social Security database of U.S. baby names by Wattenberg found that newly emerging names show a wide gender gap. Boys are much more likely to be given names associated with power, speed, animals and courage (Diesel, Rage, Dash), while girls are more likely to get names linked to beauty, luxury or happiness (Cashmere, Gorgeous, Joy). Baby names can even hint at parents' political ideology. A 2013 study of U.S. names found that parents in liberal areas prefer softer consonants, such as "L," for their babies' names, while parents in conservative regions favor harder sounds such as "B" and "D." Babies in Western states are also more likely to get unusual names compared to babies in New England, perhaps reflecting a more individualistic ethos in those "frontier" regions. (Markle, for the record, was born and raised in Los Angeles.) Naming royalty The names of royal babies are at a whole different level. For Kate Middleton and Prince William, whose children are third, fourth and fifth in line for the throne, naming was a statement for the whole family, Wattenberg said. "It was a moment of branding for the monarchy, a statement of purpose and identity," she said. "Their choice was tightly constrained." And indeed, the pair drew their children's monikers from the family lineage. Their firstborn, George Alexander Louis, shares a first name with six British monarchs since 1714. Alexander was part of the name of his great-grandfather Prince Philip's grandfather, and Louis is in honor of his father's great-uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten. Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, the pair's second child, drew her middle names from her great-grandmother, the current queen, and her grandmother, Princess Diana. Charlotte is both a feminine form of Charles (William's father and next in line for the throne) and an homage to Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, who ruled between 1738 and 1820, according to The Telegraph. The couple's third child, Louis Arthur Charles, also nods to Prince Charles and Lord Louis Mountbatten, as well as Arthur, part of Charles' and William's full name. With a long line in front of him in the royal succession and parents known for a modern approach, the naming field seemed wide-open for "Baby Sussex," the nickname given to Harry and Meghan's child. "This one is far less predictable than recent royal names," Wattenberg said before the announcement. That made the name more interesting, she said, because it was a chance to glimpse "something real and heartfelt" about Meghan and Harry. According to Wattenberg's website, Namerology, which focuses on baby-name statistics, Archie is holding steady in popularity in England, but trending upward in the United States. The nickname form of the name is more popular in both countries than the name it originally shortens, Archibald. Archibald ranks 2,554 in popularity in the United States and 392 in England. Harrison as a first name is the 34th most-popular choice in England and ranks 113th in the United States. (Though Harry can be a nickname for Harrison, Prince Harry's full name is Henry, not Harrison.) "I take this name as a polite statement that royal trappings come second" for Harry and Meghan, Wattenberg said. William and Kate used a traditional approach to naming, Wattenberg said, picking names from a menu of classic family names. That's how almost everyone in the English-speaking world named their kids until a few decades ago,she said. In contrast, Harry and Meghan took a contemporary approach, picking a "fashionable, well-liked name," Wattenberg said. "It's really only in the last few generations that names have become trendy objects of style," she said. Originally published on Live Science.<doc-sep>Archie means "genuine", "bold" or "brave" - and is more popular in Britain than the US. It was originally a shortened form of Archibald but is now often used as a name on its own.<doc-sep>
Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex announced their first child’s name on Wednesday, sharing the news that their son will be called Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor following a photo call. As for the new royal baby’s title, unlike Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — the children of William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge — Harry and Meghan’s baby boy is not a prince. Unless Queen Elizabeth II issues a Letters Patent declaring otherwise (like she did for Will and Kate’s kids.) “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pleased to announce they have named their first born child: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor,” the couple’s official Instagram account captioned a shot of Meghan introducing Archie to the queen on Wednesday. “This afternoon Their Royal Highnesses introduced Her Majesty The Queen to her eighth great-grandchild at Windsor Castle. The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duchess’ mother were also present for this special occasion.” The name Archie is certainly not a traditional choice for Harry and Meghan as it’s not the name of a past British monarch or even a past member of the British royal family. As of now, it’s unclear why Harry and Meghan chose the name Archie for their son. Leading up to the name announcement, Ladbrokes odds had Alexander at 4/1, Spencer at 5/1, James at 6/1, Arthur at 7/1 and Theodore at 8/1. Meghan gave birth to the baby boy, who weighs 7 pounds and 3 ounces, on Monday, the couple announced on their Instagram page. Prince Harry, speaking to cameras on the grounds of Windsor Castle on Monday, said “this little thing is absolutely to die for.” Royals fans have been speculating over the new royal baby name since Kensington Palace announced that Markle was pregnant with the couple’s first child on Oct. 15. “Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019,” the palace said in a statement. Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com.