Way back in the mists of time , when schoolkids were expected to learn seemingly endless lists of facts off by heart , they chanted a poem to remember the names of England 's kings and queens . `` Willie , Willie , Harry , Ste , '' it began . `` Harry , Dick , John , Harry three / One , two , three Neds , Richard two / Harrys four , five , six , then who ? '' It then ended with the most recent monarchs : `` Edward seven , George and Ted / George the sixth , now Liz instead . '' Of course , it 's not done that way any more , but if it were , which name would make it into the next verse ? We know that `` Charles '' and `` William '' will follow `` Liz , '' but which name will follow theirs ? Long before it was announced that William and Catherine had had a baby boy , speculation about what they 'll call the newest addition to the royal family reached fever pitch . Would they pick a name that has already featured in that schoolroom poem ? Read more : What will the royal baby look like ? `` William and Kate are very much a couple of the 21st century but I think they will stick to traditional names , in keeping with the past , '' Kate 's biographer Claudia Joseph told CNN . Whatever the pair pick as the all-important first name , there will be plenty of room to fit in nods to other members of the family too . `` Royals have quite a lot of names , '' said Williams . `` Charles is actually Charles Philip Arthur George , and the Queen is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary . Her father , Bertie , had five names . '' Writing for CNN , royal author Andrew Roberts agreed : `` Although we ca n't know what the child 's name will be , we can be sure that he or she will have a lot of them : Some heirs to the throne [ have ] had as many as seven or eight . '' But now we know it 's a boy , Williams said the couple 's choice was simpler in theory , since there are fewer traditionally `` royal '' male names to choose from . George and James are the current frontrunners with bookmakers , with odds of between 6/4 and 11/4 . `` We 're very fond of King Georges in this country , '' she said . Read more : Royal baby -- heir for a new century ? But the peculiar British royal tradition of switching between names may complicate matters . Prince Charles is expected to be known as King George VII when he ascends to the throne ; King George VI was actually christened Albert ; and his brother , Edward VIII , who became Duke of Windsor after his 1936 abdication , was known as David by family and friends . History has also knocked several male names out of the equation : Edward is unlikely , given that scandalous abdication so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson , and the various King Richards , Charleses and Johns are viewed as cruel , tyrannical or just downright unpopular . `` Charles , at 10/1 , and John , at 8/1 , are very unlikely , '' Roberts wrote . `` Charles is already taken as the name of Prince William 's father , and John was one of the worst kings in British history . '' King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta by his nobles in 1215 ; he was portrayed as the key villain in `` Robin Hood . '' `` There 's no way they would pick Edward as a first name , '' insists Williams . `` And you ca n't have Henry , after Henry VIII ( though of course if Harry came to the throne he would be Henry ) . My bet is on George Philip William Edward . '' In recent years , there has been a move away from classic `` regal '' names by those on lower branches of the royal family tree . Prince Andrew and his now ex-wife Sarah `` Fergie '' Ferguson plumped for the unusual Beatrice and Eugenie for Prince William 's cousins . Princess Anne , William 's aunt , has two granddaughters by son Peter and Canadian daughter-in-law Autumn Phillips : Savannah ( born in 2010 ) and Isla ( born in 2012 ) . Read more : Who can inherit British throne ? But Joseph said William and Kate were always unlikely to go for more `` trendy '' options on the lists of popular names . In 2013 , the most popular names for baby boys in the UK so far are Noah , Oscar and Oliver , according to babynames.co.uk . `` Obviously other members of the royal family have broken with tradition but the offspring of William and Kate will be a future monarch , '' she said . That means , says Williams , `` we 're not going to see a Chardonnay , or a Plum , or an Apple . '' Nevertheless , British betting shops are more than happy to take your money if you fancy a flutter on a more modern or quirky moniker . If you think the future monarch might name a king-in-waiting after the King , you can always give it a shot : Ladbrokes are offering odds of 500/1 in favor of Elvis , while the chances of the baby prince being named after South Korean rapper and YouTube sensation Psy are a long shot 5000/1 . Read more : Royal baby , meet the family !
Speculation about what baby boy will be called has reached fever pitch . Prince William and Catherine are expected to opt for a traditionally `` regal '' name . Bookies ' favorites are George and James -- but you can also place bets on unusual names .