Having one of these 50 last names could mean you're related to the Royal Family
A surname shared with an aristocratic family could offer a starting point for exploring your ancestry, but it does not automatically mean you're related to a royal.
Several British family names have historical links to monarchs, dukes, marquesses and earls, with connections stretching across centuries of royal history.
According to a list compiled by genealogy resource MyHeritage, 50 surnames are associated with royal or aristocratic lineages, including names linked to Princess Diana, King Henry VIII and King Charles II.
Which surnames are linked to the British Royal Family?
Some of the most recognizable names are Windsor, the British royal house name adopted in 1917, and Mountbatten-Windsor, used by some descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
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Bowes-Lyon is associated with the Queen Mother’s family, the Earls of Strathmore, while Spencer is the family name of Princess Diana, whose relatives hold the title of Earl Spencer.
Other surnames have connections to powerful aristocratic dynasties rather than the immediate Royal Family. These include Howard, also known as Fitzalan-Howard, the Dukes of Norfolk, and Seymour, the family of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third wife.
The names Somerset and FitzRoy are linked to the Dukes of Beaufort and Gratfon respectively. Both families have connections to John of Gaunt or Charles II, while Beauclerk and Gordon-Lennox also have historical links to Charles II.
What aristocratic surnames have royal connections?
The wider list includes families whose titles are associated with historic estates, political figures and prominent British landmarks.
Among the dukes are Montagu Douglas Scott, Russell, Cavendish, Spencer-Churchill, Manners, Percy, Grosvenor, Wellesley, Campbell, Murray, Graham, Douglas-Hamilton, Innes-Ker, Egerton, FitzGerald, Hamilton, Montagu and Carnegie.
Their titles include the Dukes of Buccleuch, Bedford, Devonshire, Marlborough, Rutland, Northumberland, Westminster, Wellington, Argyll, Atholl, Montrose, Hamilton Roxyburghe, Sutherland, Leinster, Abercorn, Manchester and Fife.
Cavendish is associated with Chatsworth House, while Percy is linked to Alnwick Castle.
The marquess families include Thynn, Cecil, Paget, Cholmondeley, Hervey, Crichton-Stuart, Compton, Kerr and Brudenell-Bruce. Their titles include the Marquesses of Bath, Salisbury, Exeter, Anglesey, Cholmondeley, Bristol, Bute, Northampton, Lothian and Ailesbury. Cholmondeley is pronounced 'Chumley.'
The earls’ surnames include Stanley, Herbert, Lascelles, Chetwynd-Talbot, Armstrong-Jones, Ogilvy, Coke, Lowther, Cadogan, Primrose, Grey, Windsor-Clive and Bruce.
Their titles connect them to Derby, Pembroke, Carnarvon, Harewood, Shrewsbury, Snowdon, Airlie, Leicester, Lonsdale, Cadogan, Rosebery, Grey, Plymouth and Elgin.
Some have additional historical associations: Stanley gave its name to the Derby horse race.
Herbert is linked to Highclere Castle, known as the setting for Downton Abbey, and Grey is associated with Earl Grey tea.
However, a shared surname alone cannot establish a family relationship.
Anyone curious about a possible royal connection would need to research their family tree and verify the links through genealogical records.
Topics: Royal Family, UK News
Thomas Bamford