Relationships4 min(s) read
Having one of these 50 surnames could mean you are related to the Royal Family
Have you ever wondered whether you could turn up and declare you're next in line for the British throne? Today might be that day.
While most people can only hope they are descended from royalty, some people actually are.
But whether that means you can barge into Buckingham Palace with your bags packed is another thing entirely.
However, it doesn't hurt to know if you're distantly related to someone of stature.
Thankfully, the likes of MyHeritage and Her have compiled lists - and many more reports.
Using the names as a starting ground to figure out the meaning behind them, what has been revealed is that there are royal factions any one of us could belong to thanks to our namesake.
These names, traditionally associated with nobility, could lead you to a surprising revelation about your own lineage.
While having one of these surnames doesn't guarantee you're related to a royal family member, it can be a fascinating starting point for anyone intrigued by the possibility of royal ties.
Here’s a list of 50 surnames that could hint at a royal lineage:
Royal and royal-adjacent
Windsor: the royal house name established in 1917
Mountbatten-Windsor: used by some descendants of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
Bowes-Lyon: the Queen Mother’s family, who are the Earls of Strathmore
Spencer: Princess Diana’s family, who are the Earls Spencer
Dukes
Howard (Fitzalan-Howard): Dukes of Norfolk, who are England’s senior duke family
Seymour: Dukes of Somerset, the family of Henry VIII’s third wife
Somerset: Dukes of Beaufort, who are descended from John of Gaunt
FitzRoy: Dukes of Grafton, who are descended from an illegitimate son of Charles II
Beauclerk: Dukes of St Albans, who are descended from Charles II and Nell Gwyn
Gordon-Lennox: Dukes of Richmond, which is another Charles II line
Montagu Douglas Scott: Dukes of Buccleuch, which is also a Charles II line
Russell: Dukes of Bedford
Cavendish: Dukes of Devonshire, residing at Chatsworth House
Spencer-Churchill: Dukes of Marlborough, who are linked to Blenheim Palace and Winston Churchill
Manners: Dukes of Rutland, who live in Belvoir Castle
Percy: Dukes of Northumberland, who own Alnwick Castle
Grosvenor: Dukes of Westminster, and are major London landowners
Wellesley: Dukes of Wellington
Campbell: Dukes of Argyll
Murray: Dukes of Atholl
Graham: Dukes of Montrose
Douglas-Hamilton: Dukes of Hamilton
Innes-Ker: Dukes of Roxburghe
Egerton: Dukes of Sutherland
FitzGerald: Dukes of Leinster
Hamilton: Dukes of Abercorn
Montagu: Dukes of Manchester
Carnegie: Dukes of Fife, descended from Edward VII
Marquesses
Thynn: Marquesses of Bath, Longleat
Cecil: Marquesses of Salisbury and Exeter, Hatfield and Burghley
Paget: Marquesses of Anglesey
Cholmondeley: Marquesses of Cholmondeley, pronounced “Chumley”
Hervey: Marquesses of Bristol
Crichton-Stuart: Marquesses of Bute
Compton: Marquesses of Northampton
Kerr: Marquesses of Lothian
Brudenell-Bruce: Marquesses of Ailesbury
Earls
Stanley: Earls of Derby, who gave their name to the horse race
Herbert: Earls of Pembroke and Carnarvon, whose seat is Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey)
Lascelles: Earls of Harewood, descended from George V’s daughter
Chetwynd-Talbot: Earls of Shrewsbury, England’s premier earls
Armstrong-Jones: Earls of Snowdon, Princess Margaret’s family
Ogilvy: Earls of Airlie, linked by marriage to Princess Alexandra
Coke: Earls of Leicester, Holkham Hall
Lowther: Earls of Lonsdale, behind boxing’s Lonsdale Belt
Cadogan: Earls Cadogan, who own much of Chelsea
Primrose: Earls of Rosebery, including a Victorian PM
Grey: Earls Grey, whose 2nd Earl gave his name to the tea
Windsor-Clive: Earls of Plymouth, unrelated to the royal Windsors
Bruce: Earls of Elgin, of Elgin Marbles fame
Do any of you reading now think you could be related to royalty?