See if yours is on the list

Hear ye, hear ye! If you’ve ever felt that there’s just a certain… regal energy to you, or that you’d have made a really good king or queen, or at least a decent noblewoman, it turns out there could be a reason behind that. The DNA-testing and family tree site MyHeritage has identified a list of 35 surnames that have strong royal connections to them, and some are actually pretty common.

While it doesn’t mean you’re next in line for the throne if you have one of the below surnames, it could give an indicator that somewhere in your family tree there’s a person (or persons!) of note with connections to the crown. Which is pretty exciting, wouldn’t you say? And certainly worth digging into.

Here’s the list of surnames that could mean you’re distantly relate to Prince William, Henry VII or someone else who has rocked a crown in their daily life/has a bunch of land/fancy title.

What surnames have royal connections?Windsor

A fairly obvious one, this has been the British royal family’s surname since 1917 (prior to that it was the more German-sounding Saxe-Coburg-Gotha).

Tudor

The dynasty that brought us Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, two of the most famous British monarchs.

Stuart

A Scottish family who ruled England and Scotland during the 16th and 17th century.

Plantagenet

Not a super common surname, but one linked to the royal house that spawned Richard III.

Capet

A French dynasty who were in charge between 987 and 1,328.

Spencer

The surname of Princess Diana, whose brother, Charles, is the ninth Earl Spencer.

Bourbon

More than a biscuit and a type of booze, this European line saw rulers of France, Spain and beyond descend from it.

Habsburg

A big-shot family during the Holy Roman Empire, just FYI.

Hanover

British royals like George I and Queen Victoria descended from this line.

Valois

A branch of the Capet ruling house in France.

Lancaster

Remember studying the Wars of the Roses in school? The Lancaster branch, descended from the Plantagenets, went up agains the House of York, also Plantagenet descendants, to bid for the crown during 1455 and 1487. Ultimately, the Tudor victory united the two factions.

York

See above for more details.

Bruce

A great Scottish surname, linked to Robert the Bruce, a king viewed as a Scottish hero for restore the kingdom to an independent state and for winning on the battlefield.

Astley

Rick will be buzzing! This noble surname has links to English peerage.

Darcy

This surname has connections to medieval nobility and landowners in both Ireland and England.

de Valois

Remember that French royal house we mentioned earlier, Valois? This is a spin-off branch.

de Medici

This powerful Italian family bore not only royalty but popes too. Double win!

Savoy

Not just the name of a posh London hotel, but also a family that once dominated swathes of France and Italy.

Neville

Erm, can somebody get Gary on the phone? Not only is this surname connected to footballing royalty, but the Nevilles were a powerful English noble family during the medieval period.

Percy

Another boujee English family who made major waves in British history.

Baskerville

Another aristocratic family in England, this lot were Lords of the Manor of Eardisley for 500 years.

Howard

Another wealthy and well-regarded English family, owning the title of Duke of Norfolk, and who produced one of Henry the VIII’s wives, Catherine (number five of six).

Seymour

Jane Seymour was the third wife of Henry VIII, who produced his only male heir, Edward. The names is linked to the Dukedom of Somerset.

Grey

History buffs will know the twisted tale of Lady Jane Grey, who was Queen for a mere nine days in July 1553, before being booted out by Mary I.

Capell

This well-regarded English family has produced many an aristocrat, including Earls and Countesses of Essex.

Orange-Nassau

This is the Dutch royal family’s surname – and is why orange-coloured carrots grew in popularity during the 17th century, as farmers tried to grow the brightest ones possible as a tribute to their monarch.

Oldenburg

This royal house encompasses members of the current Danish royal family.

Glucksburg

An offshoot of the Oldenburg clan, Glucksburg is also connected with both Danish and Norwegian royalty.

Romanov

The surname of the last imperial dynasty to rule over Russia.

FitzAlan

A name that can be traced all the way back to the medieval era, this family has a string of Earls of Arundel in its bloodline.

Russell

The Russell family bore the Dukes of Bedford.

Courtenay

With both English and French royal links, if this is your surname you’re in with a double shot of being regal. Congrats!

Manners

The Dukes of Rutland descend from the Manners family tree.

Cavendish

The Cavendish family still holds the title of Duke of Devonshire. The current Duke is Peregrine Cavendish, who is the twelfth to bare the title having inherited it in 2004.

Talbot

This noble family name still holds the the Earldom of Shrewsbury. The current Earl of Shrewsbury is the casually named Charles Henry John Benedict Crofton Chetwynd Chetwynd-Talbot.

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