Turns Out, Meghan Markle's First Name Isn’t 'Meghan' Either And Now It’s All Very Confusing

Not only is it not 'Markle' but 'Sussex', the Duchess on 'The Rachel Ray Show' revealed her first name also isn't 'Meghan'.

Meghan Markle recently shared that she has dropped her surname for a new royal surname —'Sussex', the title she was gifted by the Queen when she married Prince Harry. On her new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, she corrected Mindy Kaling when she referred to her by her maiden name. Unbeknownst to many Markle's first name also isn't 'Meghan'. Royal fans were stunned to learn that the mother of two was given a completely different name at birth.

Markle revealed her real name during her appearance on The Rachel Ray Show. Host Ray pointed out the coincidence that Markle's character on Suits shared the same name as her. Ray said, "The character's name is Rachel, which is great." In response, Markle revealed, "Did you know my first name is Rachel in real life? Did you know that?" As reported by Marca, Ray, surprised, said, "I had no idea." Before the Duchess could explain why she left her birth name in her rise to stardom, Ray switched the topic, leaving viewers at home in suspense, as reported by Tyla.

Netizens understandably weren't happy with the host. On YouTube, a person commented, “Meghan was just about to explain why she's known by Meghan and not Rachel...'My parents...' but this overbearing host just interrupted. Poor interviewing skills.” Similarly, another noted, “I wish Rachael Ray would have let her finish speaking when she was explaining why she goes by Rachel.” Another echoed, “How rude Rachel didn't let her finish the story of her parents' reason for calling her Meghan Rachel is an obnoxious interviewer.” Another fan pointed out, “So neither Rachel nor Henry [Prince Harry's real name] go by their real names.”

Royal watchers speculated that perhaps the Duchess chose to go by 'Meghan' because 'Rachel' and 'Markle' didn't quite go together. But this is not the case. 'Meghan' in fact happens to be Markle's middle name. Her son Prince Archie’s birth certificate cites her full name as Rachel Meghan Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex. Quite the mouthful isn't it? No wonder, Markle keeps changing her name.

Her name is NOT Meghan Sussex. Her name is technically Rachel Mountbatten-Windsor. Sussex is a county in England & part of a courtesy title-NOT her last name. In the UK working Royals informally use that part of their title to simplify things when their kids are school aged-so… pic.twitter.com/9e8E9Tx0vc

— Princess CarParkle (@unreMARKLEble) March 4, 2025

After stepping down from royal duties, the late Queen Elizabeth II reportedly asked Markle and Harry to stop using the 'Sussex' royal brand, which was once used for both their Instagram handle and official website. Therefore, the couple launched Archewell, the name they chose for both their website and production company, as reported by Tyla. After King Charles III’s ascension to the throne, the titles of Harry’s and Markle’s children, Archie and Lilibet, were also updated. Originally called Master Archie and Miss Lilibet, the siblings now hold the titles of Prince and Princess of Sussex, as their place in the line of succession changed.