5 days ago
Could your surname have links to the Royal Family?
MANY of us have once (or twice) dreamt of finding royal blood in our lineage somewhere, and the key to uncovering this could lie in your surname.
Throughout history, surnames have been tied to noble lineages and aristocratic power.
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Trace your family tree with MyHeritage
If one of these names appears in your family tree, it could be the first step to discovering a royal connection.
Some of the most historically significant surnames, such as Windsor, Tudor, and Plantagenet, are already well known.
Names like Percy and Neville have noble roots, although they are less commonly recognised today.
Of course, a surname alone doesn't confirm royal ancestry, but it can offer a fascinating starting point.
Using platforms like MyHeritage you can explore your genealogy through DNA and historic records.
Surnames can act like breadcrumbs, guiding you toward deeper family records, as well as hidden branches of your family tree.
MyHeritage DNA provides a way to investigate possible connections of importance from the past.
Top 35 surnames with royal connection
If you carry one of the following 35 surnames, you absolutely might be connected to the royal family:
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.
How to trace your family tree with MyHeritage
If you think you might have royal roots, tracing your genealogy with MyHeritage is simple and a good place to begin.
1. Build your family tree
Start with yourself and work backwards, documenting your parents, grandparents, and so on.
Each generation you uncover doubles your number of ancestors.
10 generations equals 1,024 ancestors, and 20 generations equals a staggering 1,048,576.
MyHeritage gives you access to 6.5 billion family tree records around the world through its international databases.
2. Search historical records
Using tools such as census data, birth and death certificates, and marriage records will help you gather evidence.
MyHeritage has access to complete UK, US, Nordic and French censuses as well as historic newspaper clippings dating back to 1803, military and immigration records.
