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People with these surnames could be descendants of European royalty
Home>News
Published 20:50 2 Jun 2026 GMT+1

People with these surnames could be descendants of European royalty

Experts say your surname could offer clues about a possible royal connection

Anish Vij

Anish Vij

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The idea of being related to kings, queens and royal families might sound a little far-fetched.

However, experts reckon your surname could offer more clues about a possible royal connection than you think.

While sharing one of these names is not proof of royal ancestry, it could indicate that your family has connections stretching back to influential households.

This is basically because European royal families intermarried over centuries, creating a vast network of descendants spread across the continent.

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As a result, historians believe millions of people alive today could share some degree of distant ancestry with European monarchs.

While the Royal Family's lineage in Britain can be traced back through centuries of kings, queens and noble houses, descendants of these families did not always retain royal titles.

Could you be a royal? (Alberto Pezzali / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Could you be a royal? (Alberto Pezzali / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Over generations, family branches often moved away from court life, adopted different occupations and settled across the UK and beyond.

That means people carrying surnames traditionally associated with noble families may be unaware of their potential connections.

Therefore it is possible thar royal descendants have become farmers, tradespeople, teachers and professionals, with little indication of their family's historic status.

Well, thanks to the folks at MyHeritage, we have a list of 35 surnames that have historically been linked to aristocratic and noble bloodlines across Europe.

35 surnames that suggest you're distantly related to the Royals:

(Anwar Hussein/WireImage)
(Anwar Hussein/WireImage)
  1. Windsor: The current British royal family's surname since 1917.
  2. Tudor: The Welsh dynasty that produced monarchs like Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.
  3. Stuart: A Scottish house that ruled England and Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries.
  4. Plantagenet: A royal house that provided England with monarchs from Henry II to Richard III.
  5. Capet: The dynasty that ruled France from 987 to 1328.
  6. Bourbon: A European royal house that ruled France, Spain, and other territories.
  7. Habsburg: A prominent royal house of Europe, known for ruling the Holy Roman Empire.
  8. Hanover: The British royal house from George I to Queen Victoria.
  9. Valois: A cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty that ruled France.
  10. Lancaster: A branch of the Plantagenet dynasty, known for its role in the Wars of the Roses.
  11. York: Another Plantagenet branch, also central to the Wars of the Roses.
  12. Bruce: A Scottish royal house, with Robert the Bruce being a notable king.
  13. de Valois: A French royal house that produced several kings.
  14. de Medici: An influential Italian family that produced royalty and popes.
  15. Savoy: A royal family that once ruled parts of Italy and France.
  16. Orange-Nassau: The Dutch royal family.
  17. Oldenburg: A European royal house that includes the current Danish royal family.
  18. Glucksburg: A branch of the House of Oldenburg, associated with Danish and Norwegian royalty.
  19. Romanov: The last imperial dynasty to rule Russia.
  20. Baskerville: A noble family name with historical ties to English aristocracy.
  21. Darcy: A surname associated with medieval nobility and landowners in England and Ireland.
  22. Neville: A powerful English noble family with significant influence during the medieval period.
  23. Percy: An aristocratic English family known for their role in British history.
  24. Astley: A noble surname linked to the English peerage.
  25. Capell: A distinguished English family with historical ties to the aristocracy.
  26. Howard: A prominent aristocratic family in the UK, holding the title of Dukes of Norfolk.
  27. Seymour: The family of Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII, with ties to the Dukedom of Somerset.
  28. Grey: Associated with Lady Jane Grey, England's nine-day queen.
  29. FitzAlan: A powerful medieval family, former Earls of Arundel.
  30. Courtenay: A noble family with connections to English and French royalty.
  31. Manners: The surname of the Dukes of Rutland, a high-ranking noble family.
  32. Russell: Connected to the Dukes of Bedford, an influential aristocratic lineage.
  33. Cavendish: The surname of the Dukes of Devonshire, a powerful British noble family.
  34. Talbot: A noble family holding the Earldom of Shrewsbury.
  35. Spencer: The family name of Princess Diana, tying it to the modern British royal family.
Featured Image Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Topics: Royal Family

Anish Vij
Anish Vij

Anish is a Journalist at LADbible Group and is a GG2 Young Journalist of the Year 2025. He has a Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Apart from that, his life revolves around the ‘Four F’s’ - family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

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@Anish_Vij

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