Most people have probably daydreamed at least once about discovering they’re secretly descended from royalty. And with the rise of accessible online genealogy tools, that fantasy isn’t as far-fetched as it once seemed. Websites like MyHeritage have made it possible for millions to trace their roots, build family trees, and even connect with relatives they never knew existed.
But beyond just tracking down great-grandparents or long-lost cousins, there’s now a way to check whether your surname itself could hint at royal connections. According to MyHeritage, a surprising number of family names — 35 in total — may suggest that your lineage intersects with that of historical monarchs.
Some of these names are obvious, deeply tied to royal history. Others are less expected, even ordinary-sounding, but with links that reach back centuries through nobility, aristocracy, or direct royal bloodlines.
Surnames tied to historical royal families
Certain names on the list are immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with European royal history. These are the dynasties that defined eras, ruled over kingdoms, and shaped the political landscape of entire continents.
- Windsor: Perhaps the most familiar to modern audiences, Windsor has been the name of the British royal family since 1917, when King George V adopted it to replace the more German-sounding Saxe-Coburg and Gotha during World War I.
- Tudor: If your last name is Tudor, that’s a direct tie to one of England’s most famous royal houses. Think Henry VIII and Elizabeth I — rulers who left lasting imprints on British history.
- Stuart: This Scottish royal family ruled both England and Scotland from the early 1600s until the early 1700s. The Stuarts oversaw a turbulent time in British history, including civil war and the union of the crowns.
- Plantagenet, Lancaster, and York: These three names dominated the medieval period in England, especially during the Wars of the Roses — a bloody conflict between the houses of Lancaster and York for the throne.
- Hanover: The Hanoverians ruled Britain from 1714 to 1901. If this is your surname, you might trace your heritage back to rulers like George I or Queen Victoria.
- Capet, Valois, Bourbon, and Habsburg: These dynasties were at the heart of French, Spanish, and Austrian power for centuries. The Capetians and Valois families were early rulers of France, while the Bourbons and Habsburgs extended their influence across Europe through strategic marriages and military might.
- Romanov: Perhaps the most famous royal family in Russian history, the Romanovs ruled until the 1917 revolution. If this surname appears in your family line, it may suggest deep Eastern European roots — possibly noble or even imperial.
- de Medici, Savoy, Orange-Nassau, Oldenburg, Glucksburg: These names are tied to Italian, Dutch, German, and Scandinavian royal houses. Though not always as widely known in the English-speaking world, their influence in shaping European borders, art, and politics was immense.
Nobility, aristocracy, and unexpected royal links
Not every surname on the list sounds like it came from a palace. Some are more subtle, tied not to reigning monarchs, but to noble families who played key roles in history — sometimes as advisors, generals, or wealthy landowners.
- Spencer: Best known today as the maiden name of Princess Diana, the Spencer family has a long-standing noble heritage in the UK. Her marriage to Prince Charles brought that lineage directly into the modern royal family.
- Howard, Percy, Neville, Talbot, Cavendish: These surnames have deep aristocratic roots in England. Many of them held (and still hold) noble titles such as duke, earl, or marquess. For example, the Howards were once among the most powerful families in Tudor England.
- Seymour: Jane Seymour was the third wife of Henry VIII and mother to his only legitimate son, Edward VI. Her surname lives on, not only in history books, but possibly in your family tree.
- Grey, FitzAlan, Darcy, Courtenay, Manners, Russell, Astley, Capell: These names, while perhaps less well-known today, belonged to noble families that shaped politics and society in medieval and early modern England.
- Baskerville: Although it might bring to mind the famous Sherlock Holmes story, Baskerville is in fact a real family name with links going back to Emperor Charlemagne and King Hugh Capet of France.
What all of these surnames have in common is not a guarantee of royal blood, but a strong possibility that your ancestors — or someone on a branching line of your family tree — were once part of the aristocratic or noble classes that surrounded, married into, or descended from royalty.
It’s just a name, or is it?
Before you run off to buy a crown, it’s important to remember that a surname alone doesn’t prove royal lineage. Names can change through marriage, migration, or even clerical error. But in the world of genealogy, a surname is a solid starting point — a breadcrumb in the forest of history.
If your name is one of the 35 listed by MyHeritage, that doesn’t mean you’re next in line for a throne. But it does open the door to curiosity. With a few clicks, some old documents, and a bit of detective work, you could find fascinating stories about where your family came from — and maybe even discover a connection to a king, queen, or noble house that shaped history.