Zara and Mike Tindall have named their second child Lena Elizabeth Tindall, a representative for the couple has announced.
Photo: Getty Images/ Bradley Kanaris
The baby was born on the 18 June at Stroud Maternity Unit in Gloucestershire weighing 9lbs 3oz. She is the couple’s second child and is younger sister to four-year-old Mia Grace.
Zara, Mike and Mia. Photo: Getty Images
A spokesperson confirmed the newest addition to the family’s first and middle name to Harper’s Bazaar.
As with Mia, Lena is a fairly unconventional name for a royal baby, and follows the more modern approach that Zara and her former international rugby player husband tend to take. Lena, who is 19th in line to the throne, also does not have a royal title, following the tradition Princess Anne passed down to her children Zara and Peter.
Mike and Zara attended the royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex weeks before Zara gave birth. Photo: Getty Images
“Zara is a royal with a modern twist and her choice for her new daughter perfectly reflects this,” Sarah-Jayne Ljungstrom, a baby name expert for Channel Mum told Harper’s Bazaar. “Just as with her first daughter, Mia Grace, Zara and Mike have chosen an contemporary moniker for the baby’s first name and a heritage counterweight for the second name.”
According to Ljungstrom, Lena has rocketed in popularity over the past few years from 823rd place to 138th in recent ONS figures, both partially thanks to leading actresses Lena Dunham (Girls) and Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) popularising the name.
According to NameBerry, the name is of English origin and has history in the name Helena.
“There’s some debate around the name origin and meaning. Some people claim it is of Greek heritage and means ‘light and shine’ which is so appropriate for a summer baby,” continued Ljungstrom. “It’s also seen in Swedish, Finnish and even Hindi where it means ‘generous and kind’. It’s very popular in Hawaii – where is it also spelt Lina – and it recently topped the list as the most popular name for girls in Poland in 2013, which may explain its rise in the UK too.”
Mike and Zara married in Scotland in July 2011. Photo: Getty Images
The middle name, Elizabeth, is a nod to Zara’s grandmother, the Queen, and has been a royal favourite for generations.
“It [Elizabeth] adds weight and substance to the more contemporary choice of Lena,” added Ljungstrom. “Elizabeth is always in the top 100 chart for girls names and although it has slipped from 26 to 38 in recent years, Zara’s choice should spark a mini revival by reminding people how elegant and versatile it is.”
The biblical name Elizabeth means ‘pledged to God’ and is of Hebrew descent, according to NameBerry.
From: Harper’s BAZAAR UK
