Set in England between 1813 and 1827 during the Regency era, the Bridgerton Series was initially a collection of eight novels by author Julia Quinn. The first was published in 2000.
Each book featured the love story of one of the eight alphabetically named children—four sons and four daughters—of the fictional late Viscount Bridgerton and his widow Violet.
The series exploded in popularity when American powerhouse producer and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes adapted the novels into a series featuring an ethnically diverse cast. Bridgerton debuted on Netflix in 2020.
Rhimes then decided to create a prequel series about the real life British monarch featured in Bridgerton. Queen Charlotte was later adapted into a novel by Rhimes and Quinn together.
Quinn has also published an epilogue anthology, The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After, and collaborated on two anthologies featuring other characters from the Bridgerton universe, The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown and Lady Whistledown Strikes Back.
One of the few real historical figures in the books and streaming series, Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz married King George III of Great Britain and Ireland in 1761 to become Queen Charlotte.
The couple had 15 children, including British Kings George IV and William IV as well as Charlotte, Princess Royal, who became Queen of Württemberg and Prince Ernest Augustus, who became King of Hanover.
Charlotte and George’s granddaughter, Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent, would become Queen Victoria.
Now some of the Regency era appropriate names featured in the Bridgerton novels and Netflix series are seeing a major resurgence in popularity around the English speaking world.
The names of the sons—Anthony, Benedict, and Colin—never really fell out of favor. But the women’s names—be they daughters, female love interests, or side characters—were fairly rare until recently.
Among those newly popular names are Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Hyacinth, Penelope, Sophie, Agatha, Violet, and, of course, Charlotte. Even Portia, Prudence, Philippa, and Cressida have seen upticks in popularity.
But not everyone wants to jump on the latest trend.
A mom-to-be turned to the “Am I The A**Hole” (AITAH) subReddit for feedback after her Bridgerton superfan sister offered a perfect name for her child.
NoyaMomma asked:
“AITA for warning my sister that if she won’t shut up about what she wants me to name my child, then we’ll need some time apart?”
The original poster (OP) explained:
“My sister (30, female) and I (26, female) have usually been pretty close, but during my pregnancy she has been pushing boundaries over the name of my child.”
“My sister gave birth to her son George a few months ago. It was during the time our pregnancies overlapped that she became obsessed with this idea that if I had a girl I should name her Charlotte and then we’d have a George and a Charlotte.”
“She’s obsessed with all things Bridgerton, so that’s where her inspiration comes from. That and how she likes classic, vintage names.”
“My sister likes older names anyway, and she has been a little opinionated on names I liked in the past.”
“Before either of us were pregnant, I had expressed that a little girl we met had a cute name (Meadow) and she was like, ‘OMG, no’ and ‘that’s not the kind of name we should ever consider for our future kids’.”
“Another time, after our cousin had a baby and she named him Dex, I said how much I loved it. Afterward my sister was asking me why I’d lie and I told her I didn’t and I really loved the name.”
“Even with stuff like that happening occasionally, she didn’t fixate on it.”
“But now? Totally different.”
“At the very start, she told me I should choose a vintage name for a baby like Ethel, Evelyn, Arthur, or Theodore. I told her I wasn’t looking for name ideas and wouldn’t discuss them with anyone but my husband.”
“Then when she had decided on George for her son, she told me I needed to name my baby Charlotte if she’s a girl. She wants me to use Edmund for a boy because of another Bridgerton character.”
“For us, Charlotte is not a name we would ever consider. But I told her we weren’t discussing names. If she realized I never considered it, she’d be more pissed.”
“But she kept bringing it up. And then she asked me what I was going to name my baby. I said it wasn’t something we were talking about until after baby is here and we’re ready to announce.”
“In reality, we’re between two girls’ names with Lyra slightly winning right now. I know my sister won’t like the name and I’m not telling her in advance so she can double down even harder on the idea of Charlotte.”
“But all this interference from my sister is pissing me off. I have changed the subject, walked away, and hung up on her and it still doesn’t stop her.”
“So the other day, when she brought it up again, I told her to stop. That I don’t want to repeat myself anymore, but if she won’t shut up about the name Charlotte or what she wants me to name my child, then we’ll need some time apart.”
“I won’t answer any calls or go anywhere she is. I told her I mean it. That she’s pushing too much when this baby is not hers.”
“She told me I was overreacting and it would be petty to stop talking to her over baby names. I told her it’s not about the names themselves, but the way she keeps trying to tell me what to name my child.”
“I told her I didn’t do this to her. Her response was I was acting like a kid instead of an adult.”
“It’s not cutting her off because she suggested a baby name, but because she’s forcing it on me despite me laying out my boundaries for that.”
“And I’m pretty sure I’ll be following through on the promise. But if that’s what it takes, then I just gotta do that.”
“We never had these kinds of problems before. It’s frustrating to have this be a thing she refuses to let go.”
“AITA?”
AITAH is similar to the AITA subReddit, but votes are not compiled and no judgment is rendered.
However, some Redditors weighed in using the voting acronyms from AITA:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
Of those who voted, they decided the OP was not the a**hole (NTA).
“It would be petty to stop talking over baby names. It would NOT be petty to stop talking over having an established boundary stomped on again and again because she can’t let it go. NTA.” ~ Mrsanjuro75
“You know what I noticed? When you said, ‘she asked me whwhI would lie about loving the name Dex…’ She doesn’t even consider you a separate person with your own opinions, ideas, likes, and dislikes.”
“It didn’t even enter her mind that you would like the name Dex. She doesn’t even recognize there could be any truth beyond what SHE likes.”
“She didn’t ask IF you lied. She asked WHY. She just assumed she HAD to be right.”
“It screams self absorbtion and a lack of empathy or recognition of other’s individuality. I think some distance might be a good idea.” ~ unicornhair1991
“Imagine being asked why you picked a certain name for your child, and your answer is ‘They are named after a character in a TV show my sister likes’.” ~ RobCarrotStapler
“Even just admitting you named your own child after a smutty period romance drama is kinda cringe. It’s a fun show, but it’s also kinda silly and shallow, a guilty pleasure show, not something I’d expect anyone to name their kids after, let alone anyone else’s!” ~ Punkodramon
“Remind her your kids aren’t married ro each other, because George and Charlotte on Bridgerton are.” ~ GreenOnionCrusader
“100% she’s gonna get them matching Halloween costumes and set up a fake wedding when they’re in kindergarten because it’s ‘cute’. But yeah, I was thinking the same thing, it’s so creepy.” ~ Lopsided-Sky396
“Suggest your sister seek counseling for her obsessive tendencies. Maybe give her spouse a heads up.”
“In the meantime, if she refuses to stop nagging you about what to name your kid, block her for a couple hours. Just a couple. Then, unblock, and when she calls/texts again asking about it, say, ‘Huh. That’s weird. Must have been in a dead zone’.”
“When she starts in again after that, block her for another couple hours. Go through the same routine. Keep blocking her for a while every time she mentions your kid’s name. Maybe she’ll get the message.” ~ Next-Drummer-9280
“She is being pushy and overbearing, completely ignoring your boundaries. It is perfectly acceptable to put her in time out.”
“For fun, you could also nod when she suggests a name, take out your phone and write it down, then explain that any name she suggests is going on a list of names you absolutely will never use.” ~ Amazing-Wave4704
“Ask her how she would feel if you told her every day that you would have preferred she name her child something other than George? Every. Damn. Day.”
“Just your opinion. Every time she yaps at you with the same name you already rejected, you can yap back with ‘maybe Lucas would have been nicer than George’.”
“She needs it explained to her that she may vicariously enjoy pushing her opinions on you over and over again, but she needs to understand how miserable the experience is for you.” ~ get_to_ele
The current Prince and Princess of Wales—William and Kate—also liked the names George and Charlotte.
They named their first son and only daughter those names in 2013 and 2015 respectively.
However, they were likely influenced by Prince William’s real life ancestors, rather than a series of popular books.
Prince William is the six-times great-grandson of King George III and Queen Charlotte.