THE Beckhams have added to their roll-call of exotically named children with their latest addition.

It was footballer Beckham who revealed her name on his Facebook page: “I am so proud and excited to announce the birth of our daughter Harper Seven Beckham,” he said.

The Beckhams, who married in 1999, already have three boys - Brooklyn, 11, Romeo, eight, and Cruz, five.

It comes as no surprise, then, they have called their latest offspring something a little left of field.

Before the baby's name was confirmed, stylist Sally Lyndley alluded to a possible name for the newborn writing: “congratulations on gorgeous baby Beverly!”

While Brooklyn was named after the place where he was conceived, this appeared to suggest the pair – who live in Beverly Hills – had once again opted to name a child after a location close to their hearts.

However, A source in Los Angeles said: “The couple loved the name Harper. It has no hidden meaning – they just fell for the name and think it has a lovely sound.

“They went for Seven as a middle name as they think it is a lucky and spiritual number. And the baby arrived around 7am in July - the seventh month.”

Harper is a popular name in the US for both sexes and Victoria, 37, has appeared in glossy mag Harper’s Bazaar several times.

It can be a boy or girl’s name and comes from an Old English surname which originally belonged to a person who played the harp or made harps.

Seven was David’s squad number with Manchester United and the England team.

He also has the roman numerals for seven, VII, tattooed on him.

The Beckhams by no means have a monopoly over unusual names.

Giving them a run for their money have been Jamie and Jools Oliver with Poppy Honey followed by Daisy Boo then Petal Blossom and finally Buddy Bear.

Jonathan Ross’s family have not escaped either, with children Betty Kitten, Honey Kinney and Harvey Kirby.

Katie Price and former husband Peter Andre chose the names Junior and Princess for their young ones, which may not be ideal when they reach adulthood.

The long list continues, with a raft of other celebs opting for eyebrow-raising monikers.

As far as the general public goes, the top 10 names for girls in the UK last year were Olivia, Sophie, Lily, Emily, Ruby, Jessica, Chloe, Ava, Grace and Amelia.

For boys the list reads Oliver, Jack, Harry, Charlie, Alfie, Thomas, Joshua, William, Daniel and James.

However, it has been predicted that some new trends will start to creep in this year.

The first is the merging of two major recent trends: very proper names – think Louise, Beatrice and Abraham – with lighter-than-air nicknames such as Lulu, Bee and Bram.

From the parents’ perspective they get two very different names for the price of one. You can be Lulu splashing in the paddling pool and Louise when you grow up to be a politician.

There has also been a name genre switch with more dog names for babies (Buster and Buddy) and baby names such as Poppy and Alfie being given to dogs and cats.

Is it because more and more people view their pets as child equivalents?

A timely trend embraces a new spin on African day names, with everything from month names such as January and May to seasonal names such as Winter, Easter, Summer and Autumn predicted to soar in popularity.

Comeback names are also on the cards. With Stanley as a new entry to the British top 100, surely Ernest and Ethel can’t be far behind?