80 Unique Last Names That Mean Royalty

Picking a surname that hints at royalty can make your name sound more impressive, powerful, and noble.

You might want a regal last name if you’re writing a book looking into your family’s past, or just interested in names that mean something royal.

Many family names have links to kings, queens, emperors, and noble families from all over the world.

In this article, we’ll look at last names that scream royalty digging into where they come from and what they mean to uncover the grand history behind them.

Last Names That Mean Royalty

Rex (Latin) – Meaning “king,” a direct reference to royalty.

Reyes (Spanish) – Derived from the word “reyes,” meaning “kings.”

König (German) – Meaning “king” in German.

Roy (French/Scottish) – Meaning “king” in Old French and Scottish Gaelic.

King (English) – A surname given to someone who acted like or was associated with a king.

Kaiser (German) – Meaning “emperor,” derived from the Latin “Caesar.”

Tsarov (Russian/Bulgarian) – Derived from “tsar,” meaning “emperor” or “king.”

Prince (English/French) – Meaning “prince,” originally denoting someone in service to a prince.

Duke (English) – A noble title ranking just below a monarch.

Counts (French/English) – Derived from “count,” a noble rank equivalent to an earl.

Wang (王) (Chinese) – Meaning “king” in Chinese, one of the most common surnames in China.

Huang (皇) (Chinese) – Meaning “emperor” or “sovereign.”

Rajput (Indian) – Meaning “son of a king” in Sanskrit, referring to a warrior caste.

Raja (Indian) – Derived from Sanskrit, meaning “king” or “ruler.”

Maharaj (Indian) – Meaning “great king” in Sanskrit.

Shah (Persian/Indian) – Meaning “king” or “monarch” in Persian.

Padishah (Persian/Turkic) – A title for emperors and high kings.

Baghatur (Mongolian/Turkic) – Meaning “hero” or “noble warrior,” often associated with royalty.

Chakravarti (Sanskrit) – Meaning “universal ruler” or “emperor.”

Nayak (Indian) – Meaning “leader” or “chief,” often linked to noble families.

Malik (Arabic) – Meaning “king” in Arabic.

Sultan (Arabic/Turkic) – Meaning “ruler” or “monarch.”

Emir (Arabic) – Meaning “prince” or “commander.”

Sheikh (Arabic) – Meaning “chief” or “elder,” often linked to royal lineage.

Negus (Ethiopian) – Meaning “king” in Amharic, a title for Ethiopian monarchs.

Basileus (Greek) – Meaning “king” or “emperor” in ancient Greece.

Tennō (Japanese) – Meaning “heavenly sovereign,” referring to the Japanese emperor.

Oba (Yoruba/Nigerian) – Meaning “king” in the Yoruba language.

Mansa (Malian) – Meaning “king” or “emperor,” used by rulers of the Mali Empire.

Hidalgo (Spanish) – Meaning “nobleman” or “son of something,” associated with nobility.

Császár (Hungarian) – Meaning “emperor,” derived from the Latin “Caesar.”

Carver (English) – Possibly from “carver of the king’s meat,” a noble role in medieval courts.

Conte (Italian) – Meaning “count,” a noble rank similar to an earl.

Furst (German/Yiddish) – Meaning “prince” or “sovereign.”

Grand (French) – Short for “Grand Roi” (Great King), used in royal circles.

Herzog (German) – Meaning “duke,” a noble rank below a king.

Marquis (French) – Meaning “marquess,” a rank above a count but below a duke.

Pavlović (Serbian/Croatian) – Meaning “son of Paul,” referring to a royal lineage.

Stewart (Scottish) – From “steward of the king,” later a royal family name.

Zarate (Basque/Spanish) – Linked to noble and ruling families in Spain.

Ashina (Turkic) – A ruling dynasty name from Central Asia.

Gorō (Japanese) – Meaning “fifth son,” often associated with samurai and noble families.

Iskandar (Persian/Malay) – Derived from Alexander the Great, often linked to royal lineages.

Jahan (Persian) – Meaning “world” or “universal ruler,” used by Mughal emperors.

Khan (Mongolian/Turkic) – Meaning “ruler” or “chief,” famously used by Genghis Khan.

Kurō (Japanese) – Meaning “black son,” often associated with nobility and samurai.

Nizam (Persian/Urdu) – Meaning “governor” or “administrator,” used for ruling dynasties in India.

Pasha (Turkish) – Meaning “high-ranking official” in the Ottoman Empire.

Tegin (Turkic) – Meaning “prince” or “lord,” common among ancient nomadic rulers.

Wibowo (Indonesian/Javanese) – Meaning “honor” or “noble status,” often associated with aristocracy.

Abiodun (Yoruba/Nigerian) – Meaning “born at the time of a royal festival.”

Bari (Arabic) – Meaning “creator” or “noble leader.”

Dlamini (Zulu/South African) – A surname of Swazi royalty, meaning “of the Dlamini clan.”

Ige (Yoruba/Nigerian) – Meaning “born into a ruling family.”

Mwangi (Kikuyu/Kenyan) – Meaning “leader” or “one who leads a group.”

Chavannes (Haitian/French) – Meaning “lord” or “landowner,” often associated with nobility.

Haile (Ethiopian) – Meaning “power” or “strength,” associated with Emperor Haile Selassie.

Mahelona (Hawaiian) – A name linked to Hawaiian chiefs, meaning “noble lineage.”

Te Heuheu (Māori/New Zealand) – A name belonging to a royal Māori family.

Vasa (Swedish) – The name of the Swedish royal dynasty, linked to nobility.

Adewale (Yoruba/Nigerian) – Meaning “the crown has come home.”

Zidane (Berber/North African) – Meaning “increase” or “growth,” often associated with noble families.

Kgosi (Tswana/Southern African) – Meaning “chief” or “king.”

Sefu (Swahili/East African) – Meaning “sword,” symbolizing power and leadership.

Obeng (Akan/Ghanaian) – Meaning “royal warrior” or “noble defender.”

Ariki (Māori/Polynesian) – Meaning “chief” or “high-ranking leader.”

Tui (Fijian/Samoan) – Meaning “king” or “paramount chief.”

Moana (Polynesian) – Meaning “ocean,” sometimes associated with ruling chiefs.

Makea (Cook Islands) – A surname of royal families in the Cook Islands.

Tevao (Tahitian) – Meaning “divine chief” or “heavenly ruler.”

Atahualpa (Quechua/Incan) – The surname of the last Incan emperor, meaning “fortunate hen” (a symbol of abundance).

Tecumseh (Shawnee) – Meaning “shooting star,” the name of a legendary leader.

Sitting Bull (Lakota) – A name symbolizing strength and wisdom in leadership.

Tonatiuh (Aztec/Nahuatl) – Meaning “sun,” associated with divine rulers.

Hiawatha (Iroquois) – Meaning “he who makes rivers,” referring to a great leader.

Yupanqui (Quechua/Incan) – Meaning “worthy of honor,” a surname of Incan royalty.

Coya (Quechua/Incan) – Meaning “queen” or “princess” in Incan society.

Guarani (Guaraní/Paraguay) – A noble surname linked to the indigenous ruling class.

Túpac (Quechua/Incan) – Meaning “royal or noble,” as in Túpac Amaru, the last Incan ruler.

Mapuche (Mapuche/Chile) – Linked to the Mapuche leaders and noble warriors of Chile and Argentina.

Closing Remarks

Royalty is something which is not created and is one of the great characteristics of humans. What are your thoughts on our post on “last names that mean royalty?” I hope you enjoyed our work; if so support us by sharing with others.