Royal Baby Name Predictions Favor Charlotte If Kate Middleton, Prince William Welcome Girl

As the anticipation mounts for the latest addition to the British royal family, so does the speculation about the name Prince William and Kate Middleton will give the child. If you’re a betting Brit, odds are you're choosing Charlotte for a girl over the formerly favored Alice. The stalwart moniker of James still reigns supreme for top boy name.

Kate and William were expected at the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in London in late April. But this royal baby had other plans, and the delay has whipped up the frenzy as many Britons place wagers on everything from its birth date to its weight. According to Reuters, Alice led the choices for girl names, followed by Charlotte and Elizabeth. There were some who hoped the young couple will pay homage to Prince William’s mother, Diana, and name their next child after her.

But the Express reports a recent surge of bets on the name Charlotte, making it the latest favored girl name. One bookmaker suspected that someone close to the family might have let inside information slip and fed the wave of bets. The name has some emotional and historical resonance for the young family as well. More than a few royal relatives had the name Charlotte, including Kate’s sister Pippa, who shares it as her middle name.

Should the couple produce a second son, gamblers are seeing James as the most likely name. (Two kings of England and seven kings of Scotland bore the name.) Arthur and Alexander are the next two favored choices. Male or female, the baby will follow big brother Prince George as fourth in line to the throne. Prince George Alexander Louis was born in July 2013 to similar fanfare but was not as delayed as his little sibling.

Paddy Power spokesman Rory Scott told People there’s even a new hope for a name from a galaxy far, far away. “Star Wars” day on “May the fourth” has a few Brits betting on a name like Princess Leia. Even some “Game of Thrones” fans have gotten in on the act and thrown in bets for the wicked boy king Joffrey and the Mother of Dragons Khaleesi.

We’ll only know the real name of the royal wee one when the princely couple steps out of the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s to announce it. If you remember from Prince George’s birth, his name was not officially announced until the day after the family left the hospital.