(Image: Mark Cuthbert/Getty Images)Many of us are keen to explore our ancestry, family history and potential relatives. The days of painstakingly going through heritage records and census data are long gone, thanks to numerous online platforms that aim to make this process easier and more accessible, including MyHeritage
Currently, MyHeritage is offering a 14-day free trial, providing individuals with the chance to map out their family tree, discover new relatives and explore billions of historical records.
They’ve even compiled a list of 35 surnames that could potentially suggest a connection to royalty. The company says that certain surnames have traditionally been linked with nobility and could strongly indicate a Royal lineage.
If users have of these 35 surnames, they might be in for a surprise when it comes to their family tree.
While having these surnames doesn’t guarantee a link to the royals, it provides an excellent starting point for those intrigued by their heritage, reports the Mirror.
People can look through archives to see any royal linkage(Image: Catherine Falls Commercial via Getty Images)Here’s the exhaustive list of 35 surnames that might hint you’re distantly related to royalty:
Windsor: The current British royal family’s surname since 1917.Tudor: The Welsh dynasty that produced monarchs like Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.Stuart: A Scottish house that ruled England and Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries.Plantagenet: A royal house that provided England with monarchs from Henry II to Richard III.Capet: The dynasty that ruled France from 987 to 1328.Bourbon: A European royal house that ruled France, Spain, and other territories.Habsburg: A prominent royal house of Europe, known for ruling the Holy Roman Empire.Hanover: The British royal house from George I to Queen Victoria.Valois: A cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty that ruled France.Lancaster: A branch of the Plantagenet dynasty, known for its role in the Wars of the Roses.York: Another Plantagenet branch, also central to the Wars of the Roses.Bruce: A Scottish royal house, with Robert the Bruce being a notable king.de Valois: A French royal house that produced several kings.de Medici: An influential Italian family that produced royalty and popes.Savoy: A royal family that once ruled parts of Italy and France.Orange-Nassau: The Dutch royal family.Oldenburg: A European royal house that includes the current Danish royal family.Glucksburg: A branch of the House of Oldenburg, associated with Danish and Norwegian royalty.Romanov: The last imperial dynasty to rule Russia.Baskerville: A noble family name with historical ties to English aristocracy.Darcy: A surname associated with medieval nobility and landowners in England and Ireland.Neville: A powerful English noble family with significant influence during the medieval period.Percy: An aristocratic English family known for their role in British history.Astley: A noble surname linked to the English peerage.Capell: A distinguished English family with historical ties to the aristocracy.Howard: A prominent aristocratic family in the UK, holding the title of Dukes of Norfolk.Seymour: The family of Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII, with ties to the Dukedom of Somerset.Grey: Associated with Lady Jane Grey, England’s nine-day queen.FitzAlan: A powerful medieval family, former Earls of Arundel.Courtenay: A noble family with connections to English and French royalty.Manners: The surname of the Dukes of Rutland, a high-ranking noble family.Russell: Connected to the Dukes of Bedford, an influential aristocratic lineage.Cavendish: The surname of the Dukes of Devonshire, a powerful British noble family.Talbot: A noble family holding the Earldom of Shrewsbury.Spencer: The family name of Princess Diana, tying it to the modern British royal family.
To learn more, individuals need to visit MyHeritage and start building their family tree using the platform’s tools that allow users to input names, dates, photos and stories to share with other potential relatives, before exploring historical archives containing census data, birth and death certificates, as well as marriage documentation.
The platform also offers DNA testing services, giving customers insights into their ethnic heritage and linking them with family members.