Royal names

Every name links to its full page: meaning, origin, and its real popularity curve since 1890.

Elizabeth Hebrew · "God is my oath," from the Hebrew Elisheva; the great durable classic of English girl names, worn by two reigning queens and rarely out of the US top 30 in over a century of records. Its nickname wealth is unmatched: Liz, Beth, Eliza, Betsy, Libby

James Hebrew · traditionally "supplanter," the English form of Jacob by way of the Late Latin Iacomus; the name of kings, two apostles, and more US presidents than any other. Royal in Britain, everyman in America, durable everywhere: Jim, Jamie, and Jem included

Katherine Greek · linked since early Christian times to katharos, "pure," though the name's true root is older and debated; borne by saints, empresses of Russia, and centuries of English queens consort. The K-classic behind Kate, Katie, Kay, and Kitty

William Germanic · "will" and "helmet," two old words fused into one name; carried to England by the Conqueror in 1066 and near the top of English boys' names for most of the thousand years since. Will, Liam, and Billy all live inside it

Catherine Greek · traditionally "pure"

Nicholas Greek · victory of the people, from the Greek Nikolaos; the fourth-century saint of Myra whose secret gift-giving grew into Santa Claus, a name borne by five popes and two tsars, and the 1990s American staple behind Nick, Cole and Colin

Charles Germanic · "man," from the Germanic Karl (Proto-Germanic *karlaz)

Martha Aramaic · lady, mistress; Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, and historically Crown Princess Märtha, celebrated for aiding Norwegian refugees during WWII

Diana Latin · divine

Anne Hebrew · variant of Hannah, meaning 'grace, favor' in Hebrew

Caroline French · French feminine form of Charles (Germanic karl, 'man'); famously borne by Princess Caroline of Hanover, Monaco

Henry Germanic · "home ruler," from heim and rik, smoothed through French Henri into English; eight kings of England carried it, and after a mid-century nap it returned to the modern top tier. A century of Hanks, Hals, and Harrys ride along

Philip Greek · means 'lover of horses', from Greek philos (love) and hippos (horse)

George Greek · farmer

Richard Germanic · brave ruler

Victoria Latin · "victory," the Roman goddess who personified it; borne by the queen an entire era was named after, and a classic across the Spanish- and English-speaking worlds since. Grand in full, easy as Tori and Vicky

Alfred English · Old English, 'elf counsel'

Clarence English · traditionally 'clear, bright' (from the title Duke of Clarence)

Eleanor Greek · traditionally "light," by association with Helen, though it began as the Occitan Alienor, its true root debated; queens of Aquitaine and England wore it, a First Lady dignified it, and the vintage revival returned it to the top tier. Nell, Ellie, and Nora wait inside

Edward Germanic · wealthy guardian

Lorenzo Italian · from Laurentum, crowned with laurel (Italian form of Lawrence)

Alexandra Greek · "defender of men," the feminine of Alexander; imperial in Russia, royal across Europe, and steadily American since the 1980s. Formal in full, flexible in practice: Alex, Lexi, Sasha, and Sandra all trace here

Leroy French · French, 'the king'

Charlotte French · French feminine diminutive of Charles (Germanic karl, "man"); queenly from George III's consort to today's young British princess, and friendly in its short forms Lottie and Charlie. The rare classic that reads regal and warm at once

Isabella Hebrew · "God is my oath," as the medieval form of Elizabeth that Spain, Portugal, and Italy made their own; the name of queens from Castile to England, and a four-syllable classic that softens to Bella, Izzy, and Isa

Julius Latin · Roman family name, possibly linked to Jove

Antoinette French · feminine form of Anthony; meaning unknown (traditionally 'priceless')

Hugh Germanic · from Germanic 'hug' meaning heart, mind, spirit

Kate Greek · pet form of Katherine, "pure"

Josephine Hebrew · Jehovah increases

Malcolm Scottish · "devotee of St. Columba"

Elisabeth Hebrew · variant of Elizabeth, traditionally translated as 'God is my oath'

Harriet Germanic · feminine form of Harry/Henry, meaning 'home ruler'

Rex Latin · means 'king'

Enrique Germanic · Spanish form of Henry, meaning 'home ruler'

Madeleine Hebrew · woman from Magdala; famously borne by Princess Madeleine of Sweden

Olga Old Norse · holy, blessed (via Russian Olga); famously borne by Grand Duchess Olga Romanov of Russia

Alfonso Germanic · traditionally 'noble and ready', Spanish and Italian form of Alphonsus

Alfredo Germanic · variant of Alfred, traditionally 'elf counsel'

Edmund English · wealthy protector

Katharine Greek · traditionally 'pure'

Alberta Germanic · feminine form of Albert, 'noble and bright'

Candace African · traditional royal title of ancient Nubian queens

Royce English · surname, from Royse, a medieval form of Rose

Stuart Scottish · steward

Cesar Spanish · form of Caesar, a Roman family name

Edmond English · wealthy protector

Elvira Spanish · meaning uncertain (Visigothic origin, possibly 'elf counsel')

Louis Germanic · famous in battle, traditionally

Malik Arabic · king; a widely loved classic across Black American generations

Reagan Irish · surname from Ó Riagáin, traditionally "little king"

Stewart Scottish · occupational surname, 'steward, keeper of the household'; also a royal house name

Augustus Latin · "exalted, venerable" (Latin augeo, "to increase")

Carolina Portuguese · Latinate feminine form of Carolus (see Charles, from karl "man"); the two American states were named for King Charles I

Royal English · from the word "royal"

Gustavo Scandinavian · Spanish/Italian/Portuguese form of Gustav: possibly 'staff of the Geats', or from Old Slavic Gostislav

Queen English · queen, royal woman

Adrianna Latin · feminine form of Adrian, from 'Hadrianus', meaning 'from Hadria'

Albert Germanic · noble and bright (Adalbert: adal "noble" + beraht "bright")

Anastasia Greek · resurrection

Arabella Scottish · meaning uncertain, possibly "yielding to prayer"

Augusta Latin · exalted, venerable (from Augustus)

Georgina Greek · feminine form of George, meaning 'farmer, earthworker'

King English · from the title/word "king"

Meghan Welsh · variant spelling of Megan, a Welsh diminutive of Margaret (pearl)

Prince English · from the title "prince"

Adela Germanic · means 'noble', root of Adele and Adelaide

Agustin Latin · Spanish form of Augustine, from Augustus, 'exalted, venerable'

Basil Greek · kingly, royal

Eleanore French · variant of Eleanor, meaning uncertain (traditionally light)

Astrid Norse · divinely beautiful; a royal name in Norway, Belgium and Sweden and one of the fastest-recent climbers in the US

Candice African · from Candace, an ancient Nubian/Ethiopian royal title meaning 'queen mother'

Eleanora French · variant of Eleanor; the name's original meaning is disputed, possibly from Old French 'alia Aenor' (the other Aenor)

Frederic Germanic · peaceful ruler

Marquis French · nobleman, lord of the borderlands

Reina Spanish · Spanish word meaning 'queen'

Wilhelmina Germanic · Dutch and German feminine form of Wilhelm ("will helmet")

Ali Arabic · "lofty, sublime" (Arabic root ʿalā, "to be high"); name of the fourth caliph, the central figure of Shia Islam

Georgiana Greek · earth-worker, farmer

Leonora French · variant of Eleanor, meaning disputed, traditionally light

Maximiliano Latin · elaboration of Maximilian, "greatest"

Antony Latin · traditionally priceless one; true origin unknown, Etruscan family name

Duke English · from the noble title, ultimately from Latin 'dux' meaning 'leader'

Georgianna Greek · variant of Georgiana, feminine form of George, 'farmer'

Maximilian Latin · "greatest," from the Roman Maximus; by tradition coined by Emperor Frederick III to combine two Roman generals' virtues for his son, and a Habsburg signature ever after. The grandest route to Max there is

Reyna Spanish · means 'queen' in Spanish, from Latin 'regina'

Tatiana Latin · from the Roman clan name Tatius; famously borne by Grand Duchess Tatiana Romanov of Russia

Berenice Greek · traditionally 'bringer of victory', the Macedonian Greek form behind Bernice and Veronica

Earle English · A variant spelling of Earl, from Old English 'eorl', meaning nobleman or warrior.

Frederick Germanic · peaceful ruler

Livia Latin · Roman family name, traditionally linked to Latin livere, 'blue-ish' or envy

Malcom Scottish · variant spelling of Malcolm, traditionally 'devotee of Saint Columba'

Mathilda Germanic · A spelling variant of Matilda, from Old High German maht 'might' and hild 'battle'.

Rey Spanish · king (from Latin rex)

Amelie French · work, industriousness; famously borne by Queen Amélie of Portugal, the country's last queen consort

Caesar Latin · traditionally 'hairy' or 'thick head of hair', a Roman imperial name

Darian Persian · variant of Darius, 'possessing goodness'

Earline Modern American · An early 20th-century American feminine coinage from Earl, an English title of nobility, plus the French -ine ending.

Fredric Germanic · A variant spelling of Frederick, from Germanic frid, peace, and ric, ruler: peaceful ruler.

Gustave Swedish · the French spelling of Gustav, from Old Norse gautr, a Geat, and stafr, staff; borne by six kings of Sweden

Kingsley English · from an English surname and place name, read as "king's wood" or "king's clearing" in Old English

Marjory Scottish · A medieval Scottish variant of Margery/Margaret (Greek margarites, pearl), later associated with the herb marjoram; made famous by Marjorie Bruce.

Rayna Slavic · believed to derive from Regina ('queen') or Slavic 'paradise'

Adelaida Spanish · variant of Adelaide, "noble kind"

Elroy French · From Old French le roi, the king, with the Spanish article el; a genuine royal-title name.

Harriette French · The French feminine form of Harriet/Henriette, from Henry, Germanic heim+ric, home ruler.

Kinsley English · from a surname and place name, "clearing belonging to Cyne" (Old English Cyne, a short form of royal cyne- names)

Leonor Spanish · meaning debated, often linked to 'light' or 'compassion'; Leonor, Princess of Asturias, heir to the Spanish throne

Leopold Germanic · "bold people"

Nana Akan · chief, king, queen, or elder; an honorific and given name across Akan society, also used for "grandparent"

Nikolas Greek · variant spelling of Nicholas, 'victory of the people'

Octavia Latin · eighth-born (Latin); Roman and British aristocratic name

Raegan Irish · variant spelling of Reagan, traditionally "little king"

Raina Latin · variant of Regina, 'queen'

Regina Spanish · queen

Reyes Spanish · 'kings', from Spanish rey

Armon Hebrew · means 'palace, fortress'

Baron French · from the noble title, ultimately Old French/Germanic 'baro', 'man, warrior'

Daria Persian · feminine form of Darius, traditionally 'possessing goodness' or 'rich and kingly'

Kingston English · place name, "king's settlement"

All 380 royal names, A to Z

Royal names

All 380 royal names, A to Z

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