MyHeritage’s genealogical research suggests these names are linked to royal bloodlines.
The 35 surnames are: Stuart (Stewart), Spencer, Plantagenet, Lancaster, York, Tudor, Savoy (Savoia, Savoie), de Medici (Medici), Capet, Valois (de Valois), Bourbon (de Bourbon), Orléans (d’Orléans, de Orléans), Howard, Seymour, Percy, Habsburg, Bruce, Orange-Nassau, Oldenburg, Glücksburg, Romanov, Baskerville, Darcy (d’Arcy), Neville, Astley, Capell (Capel), Grey, FitzAlan, Courtenay, Manners, Russell, Cavendish, Talbot, Hanover, and Windsor (Mountbatten-Windsor).
“Certain surnames have long been associated with nobility and may even indicate a link to royal lineage.
“If you carry one of the following 35 surnames, you might be connected to aristocracy or even royalty.”
However, they also warn that “surnames alone aren’t definitive proof of royal or noble ancestry, but are definitely a fascinating starting point.”
The British Royal Family has a history of not using surnames, instead being identified by their house or dynasty name.
This tradition continues in the UK today.
Dynasty names would change with shifts in succession or if the throne passed through female lines.
Therefore, having a surname like “Hanover” isn’t enough evidence to claim a direct link to the royal family.
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“If a person with the surname ‘Hanover’ today were to have a connection to the historical House of Hanover, it might be, for example, through a complex and indirect genealogical path, possibly involving intermarriage with other noble or royal families over several generations.”
The research also pointed out several surnames that may indicate a recognised or visible connection to royal lineage.
These were historically used by illegitimate descendants of European monarchs.
