Betting goes 'bonkers' over royal baby's name

Royal baby name betting has reached a feverish pitch after Kate gave birth to a boy on Monday.

According to Rory Scott, a spokesman for Irish bookmakers Paddy Power, George has now become the Paddy Power favourite at 6/4 followed by James (11/4), Alexander (7/2) and Louis (8/1), the Daily Telegraph reported.

However, James, the name of Kate's brother, is the favourite with Ladbrokes and Henry's odds have been cut from 50/1 to 5/1.

Another bookmaker, Wayne is trading at 250/1 - a bet was placed on Kai, the name of footie ace Wayne Rooney's son, at 1000/1.

A News Corporation Australia online survey of more than 1500 readers found the top five names the royal couple could choose were George and James, followed by Richard, Philip and Alexander.

The new parents are expected to pick a traditional royal name for their newborn baby, as the royal infants are mostly given historical moniker, which have been passed down through the generations.