- Baby Cambridge takes the name George Alexander Louis
- The newborn will be the third Windsor king to be named George
- The Queen's father, George VI, reigned until his death in 1952
- But the Royal couple have insisted that the baby is not named after him
- The name means farmer or earth worker and originates from ancient Greek
- George was the 12th most popular name for babies in the UK
- More than 4,300 Georges were born in the UK in 2011
- The choice of three names bucks a trend with royal children often given at least four
- The name Louis was Duke of Edinburgh's uncle Lord Mountbatten's name
- The inclusion of Alexander in the name is likely to please those in Scotland
It was a name that was touted as one of the clear favourites by bookmakers and given the history of the monarchy - and in particular the House of Windsor - the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge naming their son George should come as no surprise.
Sharing a name with his great great grandfather - the Queen's father George VI - the newest addition to the royal family follows in a long tradition by taking the name George.
But the Duke and Duchess insist that the newborn is not named after the current Queen's father and say that they simply like the name.
His full name - Prince George Alexander Louis - he will be the third George from the House of Windsor to take the throne should he keep the name when he eventually takes the crown.
King George to be: The newest addition to the
Royal family will join a long tradition when he eventually takes the
throne and becomes King George VII
Chosen a name: The Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge, pictured with their son yesterday, have named their son
Prince George Alexander Louis
The name - which originates from a Greek word - means farmer or earth worker and was the 12th most popular name for boys born in the UK in 2011 with 4,347 born.
It had been thought that Prince William and Catherine would take a few days longer to come up with a name after the pair said that they were still 'working on it' on the steps of the Lindo Wing last night.
But the announcement came sooner than expected with all three names chosen having royal connotations.
The couple are said to have already had a few names in mind.
The name George has become almost synonymous with the British crown since the first King George took the throne back in 1714.
Since then, six other Georges have ruled over the British Empire, with the most recent, King George VI, dying on the throne as recently as 1952.
The name has provided some of the most memorable monarchs and continues a clear family line.
Queen Elizabeth's father was proceeded, with a brief interluding reign of Edward VIII, by George V who ruled from 1910 to 1936.
The name Alexander will prove particularly popular in Scotland, where Alexander III was regarded as one of the country's greatest rulers.
The name Louis is likely to have been chosen in honour of Lord Mountbatten, the Duke of Edinburgh's late uncle, who was killed by the IRA in 1979.
The last King George: George VI, pictured with his wife Queen Elizabeth, reigned from 1936 until his death in 1952
Not the inspiration for the name: King George
VI, second right, pictured with the Queen Mother (left), Queen Elizabeth
(then Princess Elizabeth crouched) and Princess Margaret (right), at
the Royal Lodge at Windsor Castle in 1946
Royal portrait: King George VI, right, is pictured with his family during his reign
King George V chats with Queen Victoria of Spain at Victoria when he saw her off at Victoria
The first name of the last King George - George VI - was actually Albert and he was known to his family as 'Bertie', but he selected George - his fourth name - to use as Sovereign.
He was the much-loved father of the present Queen and the new Prince George of Cambridge's great-great grandfather.
George VI chose George in honour of his father George V and to create the impression of stability after the scandal caused by the abdication of his brother Edward VIII.
George is also the fourth name of the Prince of Wales - the baby's grandfather. Even Edward VIII had George among his seven names.
Rulers: George IV, left, became king in 1820
following a term as Prince Regent from 1811 due to his father's
'madness' while King George III, right, ruled from 1760 - 1820
As well as the Monarchy, the name has also become strongly associated with England, as St George is its patron saint and the name of the country's flag.
St George, a fourth-century Christian martyr represents honour, bravery and gallantry.
WHAT DOES THE NAME GEORGE MEAN?
The name George originates from the Greek name Georgios which in its adjectal form means 'rustic' or 'farmer'.
Although it was not used as a name in ancient Greece, it was used as one of Zeus's epithets in Athens.
The name became popular from the eleventh century in the western world as a result of the Crusades and its popularity was extended due to the legend of St George slaying the dragon, which became widely told in European courts in the thirteenth century.
The name however, did not really become popular in the UK until the eighteenth century following the accession of the first King George.
Although it was not used as a name in ancient Greece, it was used as one of Zeus's epithets in Athens.
The name became popular from the eleventh century in the western world as a result of the Crusades and its popularity was extended due to the legend of St George slaying the dragon, which became widely told in European courts in the thirteenth century.
The name however, did not really become popular in the UK until the eighteenth century following the accession of the first King George.
Despite the baby's parents insisting that they simply like the name George and have not given the child the name in honour of the Queen's father, royal historians still say that the name will give Her Majesty 'great pleasure'.
Historian and royal biographer Robert Lacey said: 'George is obviously a tribute to the Queen's father and will, I imagine, give Her Majesty great pleasure.
'But even as we say that we have to remember that her father's actual name was Albert or Bertie - he chose the name George. We may find that Prince George could decide to give himself a different name as king.
'George was a natural favourite to judge from the bookmakers. They will have lost a lot of money, I think.
'George was the favourite name from the start and so in that sense the Duke and Duchess reflected a popular trend.
'I think Prince William said he wanted to get to know him before they chose the name so they must feel he is a George.'
There has only been one other Prince of Cambridge and he was also called George - but it is unlikely that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will want their son to emulate his behaviour.
The first Prince George of Cambridge was a grandson of George III and the only son of Prince Adolphus Frederick, the 1st Duke of Cambridge.
Prince George of Cambridge was born in 1819 and refused to have an arranged marriage. He wed a commoner for love after falling for the actress Sarah Louisa Fairbrother, who was said to be a classic beauty and a graceful dancer.
George II, left. reigned from 1727 to 1760, while the very first King George was on the throne from 1714 to 1727
They married in 1847 when she was already the mother of two of his children and pregnant with his third.
But the Duke did not seek the sovereign's approval and the marriage was never recognised, hence his children were not eligible to inherit royal titles.
Miss Fairbrother, who generated much scandal including having a portrait painted in which she showed off her bare legs, was ostracised by the royal family and never given a title.
Instead, she became known by the nickname Mrs FitzGeorge and this surname was taken by George's offspring.
History: The name George is synonymous with
England certainly thanks to St George, the country's patron saint, who
is said to have slain a dragon according to legend
Despite his marriage, George had a wandering eye and soon after he wed he took up with mistress Louisa Beauclerk, who remained his lover for more than 30 years.
He went on to become the 2nd Duke of Cambridge after his father's death.
The Duke was in the Army and served in the Crimean War. He was promoted to Commander-in-Chief in 1887 and an equestrian statue of him stands in the middle of London's Whitehall.
He was said to have been a disciplinarian, who believed Army promotions should be based on social connections rather than ability. He died in 1904.
His father, the 1st Duke of Cambridge - who lived from 1774 to 1850 - was never a Prince of Cambridge, but was given the title the Duke of Cambridge by his father George III in 1801 when he was 27.
Nottingham Trent University social historian Dr Judith Rowbotham speculated: ‘Royal advisers are likely to point out that the 19th century Prince George of Cambridge was not exactly a model that Kate and William would wish the new prince to emulate.
'He was not popular with his cousin Queen Victoria, especially after he married an actress who was the mother of four children by three different fathers.’
Honour: The middle name Louis is likely to be in
honour of the Duke of Edinburgh's uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten. The
last Governor General from Britain is pictured here waving a cheery
farewell to the crowds in Delhi
Tragic: An Irish police officer is pictured
bringing ashore rubble remains of the Shadow V boat which Earl
Mountbatten was on when it was blown up by the IRA half a mile out of
Mullaghmore Harbour, Ireland
George has been the name of some of the monarchy's most interesting kings.
The first King George, the first Hanoverian king who took the throne in 1714, faced a rebellion from the Jacobites in his first year on the throne.
And he remained unpopular throughout his reign, partly because of his inability to speak English, and partly because of the greed of his mistresses and his treatment of his wife.
Close: Lord Moutnbatten is pictured with Prince Charles in Nepal in 1975
Of course, George III became famed for his apparent madness.
Of the more recent King Georges, George V who reigned from 1910, was on the throne throughout the First World War.
With anti-German feeling running high, he changed his family name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (popularly known as Brunswick or Hanover) to Windsor in 1917.
He started the tradition of the Royal Christmas broadcast and died of pleurisy in 1936.
George V famously predicted that his eldest son and successor, Edward, who became Edward VIII would 'ruin himself within twelve months' after taking the crown.
His reign lasted a little more than 11 months when he abdicated and was succeeded by his brother George VI.
George VI led the nation through the Second World War, remaining at Buckingham Palace for much of it even though the building was bombed nine times during German air raids.
He introduced the George Cross and George Medal for acts of bravery.
George VI was immortalised in the Oscar winning 2010 film The King's Speech, starring Colin Firth, which focused on the king's battle to overcome a speech impediment in order to broadcast the outbreak of World War Two.
Like George, the name Alexander comes from ancient Greek, meaning 'defending men' or 'protector of men'. The names popularity originated because of Alexander the Great.
But to date there has never been a King Alexander to rule over the entire British empire.
Scotland had Alexander III, who ruled from 1241 to 1286 and is regarded as one of the nation's greatest rulers.
He became king at the age of seven and went on to marry Margaret, daughter of Henry III of England.
He laid claim to the Western Isles in 1262, then ruled by Norway and defeated King Haakon of Norway's army at the Battle of Largs in 1263.
He died in 1286 after falling from his horse.
On film: The reign of King George VI was immortalised in the 2010 film The King's Speech, pictured
The child's third name, Louis, does have a more recent royal connection however.
It is thought that the name may be a tribute to Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Duke of Edinburgh's uncle.
Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India and a former Chief of the Defence Staff, was killed when his boat was blown up by the IRA in 1979.
Mountbatten traditionally holidayed with his family in County Sligo, and was aboard his boat Shadow V when it exploded shortly after setting off from the fishing village of Mullaghmore.
He was pulled from the water, but his legs were almost severed and he died shortly afterward.
Lord Mountbatten, a second cousin of the Queen, was given a full state funeral.
A LONG TRADITION OF GEORGES: THE SIX OTHER KINGS NAMED GEORGE
Unpopular: George I
George I (reigned 1714 - 1727)
Born in Hanover, Germany, in 1660, George I became the first Hanoverian king in 1714. The 1701 Act of Succession, designed to ensure a protestant successor to the throne saw his mother Sophia become next in line to the throne should king William III and his heir Anne die without children.
She was seen as the closest protestant relation to the king - there were more than 50 catholics with a stronger claim to the crown.
Both Anne and Sophia died within quick succession and George took the throne.
He faced a rebellion from the Jacobites in his first year on the throne.
And he remained unpopular throughout his reign, partly because of his inability to speak English, and partly because of the greed of his mistresses and his treatment of his wife.
George was the second Hanoverian king, taking over from his father in 1727.
His crown was famously challenged by a Jacobite rebellion in 1745 nut the 'Young Pretender' Charles Edward Stuart was defeated in battle at Culloden in 1746.
He was the last British king to lead his troops to fight in 1743 against the french at Dettingen.
He took little interest in politics in the latter stages of his life and died in 1760, leaving his grandson to inherit the crown.
The third Hanoverian king, he succeeded his grandfather George II in 1760.
He reigned to his death in 1820 - one of the longest reigns by any British monarch in history.
He is most remembered as the king who lost the American colonies and went mad and was famously depicted in Nicholas Hytner's 1994 The Madness of King George.
He was the first Hanoverian to have been born in England and the first to speak English as his first language.
On screen: Nigel Hawthorne starred as King
George III and Helen Mirren as his Queen Charlotte in the 1995 film The
Madness of King George
According to the Monarchy's official website, George's direct responsibility for the loss of the colonies is not great.
The declaration of American independence on 4 July 1776, the end of the war with the surrender by British forces in 1782, and the defeat which the loss of the American colonies represented, could have threatened the Hanoverian throne.
However, George's strong defence of what he saw as the national interest and the prospect of long war with revolutionary France made him, if anything, more popular than before.
The American war, its political aftermath and family anxieties placed great strain on George in the 1780s.
After serious bouts of illness in 1788-89 and again in 1801, George became permanently deranged in 1810.
He was mentally unfit to rule in the last decade of his reign; his eldest son - the later George IV - acted as Prince Regent from 1811. Some medical historians have said that George III's mental instability was caused by a hereditary physical disorder called porphyria.
George IV (Reigned 1820 - 1830)
The son of George III, George IV became regent in 1811 after his father was declared insane,He had already incurred the wrath of his father for his extravagent lifestyle and had secretly and illegally married a Roman Catholic, Maria Fitzherbert, in 1785.
He became king proper in 1820 and became the first British monarch to visit Scotland since 1650 in 1821.
He was only sporadically interested in politics throughout his reign and in 1829 was forced to agree to the emancipation of the Catholics.
He was an important artistic patron and acquired an impressive collection of art, most notably at Brighton where he developed the Royal Pavillion.
He spent the latter years of his reign in seclusion at Windsor Castle and died in 1830 passing the crown to his brother William IV.
King: George V
George V (Reigned 1910 - 1936)
George V who reigned from 1910 following the death of his father Edward VII, was on the throne throughout the First World War.With anti-German feeling running high, he changed his family name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (popularly known as Brunswick or Hanover) to Windsor in 1917.
He made several visits to the front during the Great War, and his Queen Consort Mary visited wounded serviceman in hospital
George V sent a ship in 1922 to rescue the Greek Royal family including one-year-old Prince Philip now the Duke of Edinburgh.
He started the tradition of the Royal Christmas broadcast and died of pleurisy in 1936.
George V famously predicted that his eldest son and successor, Edward, who became Edward VIII would 'ruin himself within twelve months' after taking the crown.
Last George: King George VI
George VI (Reigned1936 - 1952)
Following the abdication of his elder brother, Edward VIII, George was proclaimed king on 12 December 1936 and crowned in May the following year.
He and the queen paid state visits to France in 1938, and to Canada and the United States in 1939, making George the first British monarch to enter the US.
George supported Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement towards Germany and Italy.
When Chamberlain resigned in May 1940, the king wished to replace him with Lord Halifax, but was persuaded to accept Winston Churchill, whose wartime leadership he then supported unreservedly.
During the war George visited Allied armies on several battle fronts and toured the home front extensively.
He introduced the George Cross and George Medal for acts of bravery.
Although his symbolic leadership in Britain was crucial during World War Two, George's reign was perhaps most important for the accelerating evolution of the British Empire into the Commonwealth of Nations.
He died in 1952 and was succeeded by current incumbent to the throne Queen Elizabeth.
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