Alice Leading Name for Royal Baby, UK Betting Company Says

— -- Britain’s Prince William and Duchess Kate will welcome a blonde-haired girl named Alice on a Thursday in April, if bookmakers have their say.

The U.K.-based, online betting company Betfair announced yesterday the name Alice has overtaken the name Elizabeth as the most popular bet for William and Kate to name their next child after an “unexpected rush of support for Alice over the last 24 hours.”

“The public love a royal announcement and we’re expecting the arrival to be the novelty betting heat of the year,” Betfair’s Cormac Dowling said in a statement.

William, 32, and Kate, 33, are expecting their second child in April.

The royal couple has revealed neither Kate's exact due date nor the sex of their second child.

Betfair says that bets are evenly split over whether the new royal will be a boy or a girl, but girls’ names are leading the way in the betting for a name.

Alice is followed by Elizabeth and Charlotte and then Richard and James, to round out the top five.

The name Alice is in William’s royal lineage. The aunt of William’s grandmother, the Queen, was named Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. She died nearly 11 years ago at the age of 102, according to the monarchy’s website.

Betfair says bookies got the name correct when Prince William and Duchess Kate had their first child, Prince George. George took over 70 percent of the bets prior to the birth, according to Betfair.

The 1-year-old prince's full name is George Alexander Louis.

Another U.K.-based online betting and gambling company, Ladbrokes, says it has also seen a surge in support for the name Alice in recent days.

"A mystery gamble has developed on Alice in the last few days, and such is the support it's now the joint favorite with Elizabeth at 5/1," Ladbrokes spokeswoman Jessica Bridge told ABC News. "Punters in the UK are desperate for Prince George to be joined by a little sister next month, and with a few weeks to go baby betting is booming."

Ladbrokes held what it billed as the first-ever corgi race earlier this month to predict a baby name for Prince William and Kate.

In that race, the winner was Alexandra, though the odds-on favorite for the girl’s name had been Elizabeth, the namesake of the baby’s great-grandmother, and James for the boys, an 8 to 1 favorite.

Here is the full list of Royal Baby Odds as provided by Betfair.

Royal Baby Name

Alice 3/1

Elizabeth 5/1

Charlotte 11/2

Richard 10/1

James 12/1

Victoria 12/1

Arthur 12/1

Alexandra 12/1

William 14/1

Charles 14/1

Diana 14/1

Philip 14/1

Catherine/Kate 14/1

Mary 14/1

Henry 16/1

Frances 16/1

Alexander 20/1

Albert 20/1

Spencer 20/1

Christopher 20/1

Florence 25/1

Francis 25/1

Eleanor 25/1

Michael 25/1

Rose 25/1

Margaret 25/1

Ella 28/1

Alfred 33/1

Anne 33/1

Anthony 33/1

Ava 33/1

Caroline 33/1

David 33/1

Frederick 33/1

John 33/1

Philippa 33/1

Sarah 33/1

Amelia 40/1

Edward 40/1

Emily 40/1

Helen/Helena 40/1

Louis 40/1

Sophie 40/1

Andrew 40/1

Penelope 50/1

Carole 66/1

Jane 66/1

Louise 66/1

Robert 66/1

Stephanie 80/1

Camilla 100/1

Trevor 100/1

Raheem 500/1

Sepp 500/1

Hair color of baby

Blonde 6/4

Brown 7/4

Black 7/2

Red 5/1

Gender of baby

Male EVS

Female 8/11

Day of birth

Thursday 5/1

Friday 11/2

Monday 11/2

Tuesday 11/2

Wednesday 6/1

Saturday 6/1

Sunday 6/1