CRI听力:Speculation over Name of UK's New Royal Baby

The birth of Prince George two years ago whipped up a worldwide media frenzy.

But as with 2013, the royals are keeping everyone guessing by disclosing virtually nothing about the forthcoming child - including the due date and gender.

But for those attempting to guess the baby's name, it's certainly worth a review of historical precedents.

The royal couple's previous choice of George has some historical context, as its been the names of largely-popular and successful British monarchs in the past.

For a girl, many are betting on one quaint-sounding name: Alice.

Professor Lawrence Goldman, Director of Institute of Historical Research in London, says Alice is a recurring name down the royal family line, making it as good a bet as any.

"Go back to Queen Victoria who had eight children, her second daughter was Alice. Then she had a grand-daughter who was an Alice. And one of Queen Victoria's great grand-daughters another Alice is our present Queen's mother-in-law. So there is this line of Alices that goes down the royal family in the past 150 years."

Elizabeth and Charlotte follow closely on the potential list of names, with Victoria, Alexandria and Diana trailing behind.

In terms of boy's names, some are betting the royal couple may honor William's grandfather by calling the baby Philip.

James and Arthur are also considered some of the top bets for a baby boy.

While historical precedent may indeed play a part in Kate and William's eventual decision, so too may current baby name trends.

Mumsnet is one of the UK's biggest online networks for parents.

Their website currently ranks Freya and Oscar as the most searched names in recent months.
Jane Gentle works for Mumsnet.

"And if you're bold enough you might even go on a site like Mumsnet and ask other people what they think. But there's a lot of traditional names flying around, there have been for a while, lots of Lillys and Olivias and Grace, and William and Kate."

Outside the gates at Buckingham Palace, royal watchers are having their own say on what Kate and William's new baby may be named.

"My daughter, if she had a baby she would call it Emma, so let's say Emma."

"Elizabeth for a girl."

"And William for a boy."

"And I think that they should stay with tradition, I think that because they're royalty it should be a traditional name."

"They should call it Alexis, because it's different. You don't need to call it Charles or Elizabeth or none of that. Alexis, it's a nice name and it's a Arsenal player. Know what I mean?"

Whatever name the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge eventually choose is almost certainly set to grow in popularity among expectant couples.

According to the UK's Office for National Statistics, George moved into the top ten list of popular boy names in August of last year.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.