Could royal baby be a Gertrude or a Marmaduke?

Research into Harry and Meghan’s lineage found that Mary, John and Elizabeth were the most common names on both sides Credit: Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA

Gertrude, Marmaduke, Ursula and Hyacinthe could be among the potential names for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s baby if the couple take inspiration from their family tree.

Research into Harry and Meghan’s lineage by ancestry.co.uk found that Mary, John and Elizabeth were the most common names on both sides.

Most popular names in Harry & Meghan's family tree

  • Mary

  • John

  • Elizabeth

But there were some more unusual choices for the royal couple to ponder if they want to pay tribute to their heritages.

Russell James, historian at the family history website, said former American actress Meghan has two relatives named Gertrude – her maternal great-great-grandmother and paternal great-grandmother.

Her great-great-grandmother Gertrude Sadler, who was born in Georgia in 1882 and died in 1958, was a charitable pillar of her community and involved with the Good Samaritan Aid Society.

Gertrude M Merril, who was born in 1887 and died in 1938, is the Gertrude on the side of Meghan’s father Thomas Markle, according to the research.

Diana remains one of the favourites for a girl at the bookmakers in tribute to Harry’s late mother Diana, Princess of Wales.

Mr James said Harry’s distant relatives include a number of Lancelots, a Boniface, a Marmaduke and a Hyacinthe, while Meghan has several Ralphs and an Ursula.

Parents-to-be Harry and Meghan Credit: Jonathan Brady/PA

The historian said: “When delving into someone’s family tree, you never know what you’re going to find, so it’s always interesting to uncover names that may have been forgotten or would now be considered quite uncommon.

“The royal family have often been associated with traditional names such as George, Henry or Victoria, but with Meghan’s ancestry revealing names such as Ralph and Gertrude, predicting the name of the next royal baby remains a guessing game.”

Meghan is also a descendant of both King Edward III, and King Henry VIII’s third wife Jane Seymour.

The Duchess of Sussex’s links to Edward III Credit: PA

The royal baby is due at the end of April or early May, with Meghan already having carried out her final official, public engagement ahead of her due date when she attended the Commonwealth Day service on Monday.

The baby will be seventh in line to the throne and the Queen’s eighth great-grandchild.

Mr James said: “Right back, Meghan’s got her own royal connections. She was actually related to Jane Seymour, so the idea of Jane coming back into the royal family is quite interesting.”

He added: “If I was committing large amounts of money to it then I’d be going for maybe an Arthur – one of these more traditional names.

“But just for fun, I’d like a punt on Ralph, because it’s in my family – that’s the one I’d stick a fiver on.”