For a famously chaotic republic, Filipinos seem to have a particular fondness for naming their daughters after queens and princesses. I once saw a post, whether real or satire, I can’t recall, about a class roster in which more than half the girls were named “Princess.”

So if you’re looking for a royal name for your baby, may I suggest Philippine?

The name is about as regal as it gets. We all know that the Philippines ultimately derives its name from Philip II of Spain, but fewer people realize that in the 18th century, Bourbon princesses bore the name Philippine. Whether or not they were named with the distant Spanish empire in mind, the coincidence is delightful.

Philippine Élisabeth Charlotte d’Orléans (1714–1734)

Élisabeth Philippine Marie Hélène de France (1764–1794)

Sophie Philippine Élisabeth Justine of France (27 July 1734 – 2 March 1782)

Philippine Welser (1527-1580)

Margravine Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1745-1800)

Philippine Antoinette, 1748

Frederica Dorothea Louise Philippine of Prussia 1770-1836, Countess Radziwill, c. 1801.