Noble Last Names

These noble last names are real surnames of aristocratic families and titled houses across Europe, from Howard and Percy to de Vere, Montmorency and Esterházy, listed A to Z with meanings and origins.

245 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Aisin Gioro

Aisin means gold, Gioro is a clan place name; Manchu imperial house of the Qing

Chinese
Albuquerque

From Latin albus quercus, white oak; viceroy's house

Portuguese
Aldobrandini

From Aldobrando, old sword; Florentine papal family

Italian
Andrássy

Son of András; Hungarian counts

Hungarian
Arenberg

Possibly eagle mountain; Rhineland ducal house

German
von Arnim

Brandenburg noble house, possibly from Arnheim

German

B

Balliol

From Bailleul in Picardy; King John Balliol's house

Scottish
Barberini

From Barberino in Tuscany; Roman papal family

Italian
Báthory

From Hungarian bátor, brave; Transylvanian princes

Hungarian
Batthyány

From Battyán; Hungarian counts and princes

Hungarian
Beauchamp

Beautiful field; medieval Earls of Warwick

English
Beaufort

Beautiful fortress; Lancastrian House of Beaufort

English
de Beauharnais

Possibly fine armor; Empress Joséphine's first married name

French
Bentinck

Dutch, son of Bent; Dukes of Portland

Dutch
Beresford

Beaver ford; Marquesses of Waterford

English
Bernadotte

Béarnais, little Bernard; Swedish royal house

French
Bertie

From Old German Berht, bright; Earls of Lindsey

English
von Bismarck

From Bismark in the Altmark; Prussian princely family

German
de Bohun

From Saint-Georges-de-Bohon; Earls of Hereford

English
Boleyn

Possibly from Boulogne; Anne Boleyn's family

English
Bonaparte

Italian, good part; French imperial house

Italian
Borbón

Spanish form of Bourbon; royal house of Spain

Spanish
Borghese

Italian, townsman; Roman papal princely family

Italian
Borgia

From Borja in Aragon; Renaissance papal family

Spanish
Bourbon

From Bourbon-l'Archambault; French royal house

French
Bragança

From Bragança; Portuguese royal house

Portuguese
Brahe

Danish noble house of astronomer Tycho, meaning uncertain

Nordic
von Braun

German, brown; Prussian barons

German
van Brederode

Broad clearing; Holland noble house

Dutch
de Broglie

From Piedmontese Broglia family; French ducal house

French
Bruce

From Brix in Normandy; Scottish royal house

Scottish
von Bülow

From Bülow in Mecklenburg; Prussian nobility

German
de Burgh

Of the fort; Norman-Irish Earls of Ulster

Irish
Butler

Wine steward; Irish Dukes of Ormond

Irish

C

Caetani

From Gaeta; Roman papal and ducal family

Italian
Campbell

Gaelic, crooked mouth; Dukes of Argyll

Scottish
de Castro

Of the castle; Portuguese and Galician nobility

Portuguese
Cavendish

Cafna's enclosure, Suffolk; Dukes of Devonshire

English
Cecil

Welsh Seisyll, from Latin Sextilius; Marquesses of Salisbury

Welsh
Černín

From černý, black; Bohemian counts

Czech
de Chastellux

From Chastellux in Burgundy; French counts

French
Chauhan

Rajput clan of the Ajmer and Delhi kings

Indian
Chigi

Sienese banking and papal family, meaning uncertain

Italian
Churchill

Hill with a church; Dukes of Marlborough

English
de Clare

From Clare in Suffolk; Earls of Gloucester

English
de Clermont

Clear mountain; counts of Clermont

French
Clifford

Ford by a cliff; Barons Clifford

English
de Coligny

From Coligny in Ain; Huguenot admiral's house

French
Colonna

Italian, column; Roman princely family

Italian
Comyn

From Comines in Flanders; medieval Scottish earls

Scottish
Contarini

Venetian patricians who gave eight doges

Italian
de Córdoba

Of Córdoba; house of the Gran Capitán

Spanish
Courtenay

From Courtenay in France; Earls of Devon

English
Coutinho

Little enclosure; Portuguese counts

Portuguese
de Crussol

From Crussol castle; Dukes of Uzès

French
Czartoryski

From Czartorysk in Volhynia; Polish princely house

Polish

D

Dalrymple

Ayrshire place name; Earls of Stair

Scottish
Despenser

Dispenser of provisions; medieval English barons

English
Dolgorukov

Long-armed; Rurikid Russian princes

Russian
Doria

Genoese admirals' family, from the older form Auria

Italian
Douglas

Gaelic, dark water; Earls of Douglas and Angus

Scottish
Doukas

Duke, from Latin dux; Byzantine dynasty

Greek
du Plessis

Of the enclosed wood; family of Cardinal Richelieu

French
Dudley

Dudda's clearing; Earls of Leicester

English

E

Egmont

From Egmond in North Holland; Counts of Egmont

Dutch
Enríquez

Son of Enrique; hereditary Admirals of Castile

Spanish
Erskine

Renfrewshire place name; Earls of Mar

Scottish
Este

From Este near Padua; dukes of Ferrara and Modena

Italian
Esterházy

From Esterháza; Hungarian princely house

Hungarian

F

Farnese

From Farnese in Lazio; dukes of Parma

Italian
Fiennes

From Fiennes in Pas-de-Calais; Barons Saye and Sele

English
Fitzalan

Son of Alan; Earls of Arundel

English
Fitzgerald

Son of Gerald; Earls of Kildare and Desmond

Irish
Fitzroy

Son of the king; Dukes of Grafton

English
Fortescue

Norman French, strong shield; Earls Fortescue

English
Frangipani

Italian, bread breakers; Roman noble family

Italian
Fujiwara

Wisteria field; Japanese court aristocracy

Japanese
von Fürstenberg

Prince's mountain; Swabian princely house

German

G

Gaekwad

Traditionally linked with protecting cows; Maratha rulers of Baroda

Indian
Gagarin

From gagara, loon; Rurikid princely family

Russian
Girón

Castilian, gusset of cloth; Dukes of Osuna

Spanish
Golitsyn

From golitsa, leather glove; Russian princely house

Russian
Gonzaga

From Gonzaga near Mantua; dukes of Mantua

Italian
Gordon

Scottish place name, great hill fort; Dukes of Gordon

Scottish
Graham

Gravelly homestead; Dukes of Montrose

Scottish
de Gramont

From Gramont in Navarre; French ducal house

French
Grey

Grey-haired; Dukes of Suffolk, Lady Jane Grey's house

English
Grimaldi

Germanic Grimwald, helmet ruler; princes of Monaco

Italian
Grosvenor

Norman French, great huntsman; Dukes of Westminster

English
de Guise

From Guise in Picardy; Lorraine ducal house

French
Guzmán

Germanic, good man; Dukes of Medina Sidonia

Spanish
Gyldenstierne

Golden star; Danish noble family

Nordic

H

Habsburg

Traditionally hawk's castle, a Swiss fortress; imperial house

German
Hamilton

Bare or crooked hill; Dukes of Hamilton

Scottish
d'Harcourt

From Harcourt in Normandy; French ducal house

French
Harcourt

From Harcourt in Normandy; English viscounts

English
von Hardenberg

From Hardenberg castle, hard hill; Hanoverian nobility

German
Hastings

Of Hæsta's people; Earls of Huntingdon

English
Hay

Hedge or enclosure; Earls of Erroll

Scottish
Herbert

Germanic, bright army; Earls of Pembroke

English
Hesse

From the Hessian lands; landgraves of Hesse

German
von Hohenlohe

High forest; Franconian princely house

German
Hohenzollern

High Zollern, a Swabian castle; Prussian royal house

German
Holkar

From Hol village; Maratha rulers of Indore

Indian
Hosokawa

Narrow river; daimyo family of Kumamoto

Japanese
Howard

Germanic heart-brave, or ewe herder; Dukes of Norfolk

English
von Humboldt

From Old German Hunbald; Prussian nobility

German

J

Jagiellon

From Lithuanian Jogaila; Polish-Lithuanian royal house

Polish

K

Kantakouzenos

Byzantine noble house, origin uncertain

Greek
Keith

Brythonic, wood; hereditary Earls Marischal

Scottish
Kerr

Norse kjarr, marshy thicket; Marquesses of Lothian

Scottish
Kinsky

From Vchynice; Bohemian counts and princes

Czech
von Kleist

Pomeranian noble house, meaning uncertain

German
Kolowrat

Wheel turner; old Bohemian noble house

Czech
Komnenos

From Komne in Thrace; Byzantine imperial dynasty

Greek

L

de la Cerda

Of the bristle; Dukes of Medinaceli

Spanish
De la Gardie

Of the guard; Swedish counts of French origin

Nordic
de la Tour

French, of the tower; counts of Auvergne

French
Lafayette

Of the beech grove; Marquis de Lafayette's family

French
Lascelles

From Lacelle in Normandy; Earls of Harewood

English
Lennox

Scottish district, elm place; Dukes of Richmond

Scottish
Liechtenstein

Light stone; ruling princes of Liechtenstein

German
de Ligne

From Ligne in Hainaut; Belgian princely house

French
Lindsay

Lincoln's island, Old English; Earls of Crawford

Scottish
Lobkowicz

From Lobkovice; Bohemian princely house

Czech
Lubomirski

From Lubomierz; Polish princely house

Polish
de Lusignan

From Lusignan in Poitou; crusader kings of Cyprus

French

M

MacCarthy

Son of Cárthach, loving; kings of Desmond

Irish
Maitland

Possibly Norman, bad land; Earls of Lauderdale

Scottish
Malatesta

Italian, bad head or headstrong; lords of Rimini

Italian
Manners

From Mesnières in Normandy; Dukes of Rutland

English
Manrique

Germanic, powerful man; Castilian noble house

Spanish
Matsudaira

Pine flat; daimyo family, Tokugawa ancestors

Japanese
Mavrokordatos

Phanariot princes, from mavro, black

Greek
Medici

Italian, physicians; grand dukes of Tuscany

Italian
Mendoza

Basque, cold mountain; Dukes of the Infantado

Spanish
de Menezes

From Meneses in Castile; Portuguese noble house

Portuguese
von Metternich

From Metternich near Koblenz; Austrian princely house

German
Minamoto

Japanese, origin or source; samurai clan

Japanese
von Moltke

Mecklenburg noble family, meaning uncertain

German
Montagu

Pointed hill; Dukes of Manchester

English
Montague

Norman, pointed hill; Earls of Salisbury

English
Montefeltro

From Mons Feretri, Jupiter's hill; dukes of Urbino

Italian
de Montfort

Strong mount; family of Simon de Montfort

French
Montgomerie

Norman, Gomeric's mount; Earls of Eglinton

Scottish
Montmorency

From Montmorency near Paris; premier barons of France

French
Morosini

Venetian doge family, from moro, dark

Italian
Mortimer

Dead sea, from Mortemer in Normandy; Earls of March

English
Mowbray

From Montbray in Normandy; Dukes of Norfolk

English
Murray

Of Moray, sea settlement; Dukes of Atholl

Scottish

N

Nassau

From Nassau on the Lahn; House of Orange-Nassau

German
Neville

New town, from Neuville in Normandy; Earls of Warwick

English
de Noailles

From Noailles in Corrèze; French ducal house

French

O

O'Brien

Descendant of Brian Boru; Barons Inchiquin

Irish
O'Conor

Descendant of Conchobhar; last high kings of Ireland

Irish
O'Donnell

Descendant of Domhnall, world ruler; princes of Tír Chonaill

Irish
O'Neill

Descendant of Niall, champion; kings of Tír Eoghain

Irish
Obolensky

From Obolensk; Rurikid Russian princes

Russian
Oda

Weaving rice field (織田); clan of Oda Nobunaga

Japanese
Ogilvy

Brythonic, high plain; Earls of Airlie

Scottish
d'Orléans

Of Orléans; French royal cadet house

French
Orlov

From orel, eagle; Russian counts

Russian
Orsini

Italian, little bears; Roman princely family

Italian
Osorio

Possibly from Latin ursus, bear; Marquesses of Astorga

Spanish
Oxenstierna

Ox forehead; Swedish counts

Nordic

P

Paget

Little page, a young servant; Marquesses of Anglesey

English
Palaiologos

Possibly old word; last Byzantine imperial dynasty

Greek
Pálffy

Son of Pál; Hungarian counts and princes

Hungarian
Pelham

Peotla's homestead; Dukes of Newcastle

English
Percy

From Percy-en-Auge, Normandy; Earls of Northumberland

English
Pimentel

From pimenta, pepper plant; Counts of Benavente

Portuguese
Plantagenet

Broom sprig, planta genista; English royal house

English
Plunkett

Possibly Old French blanquet, white cloth; Irish barons

Irish
de Polignac

From Polignac in Auvergne; French ducal house

French
Ponce de León

Ponce of León; Dukes of Arcos

Spanish
Poniatowski

From Poniatowa; family of Poland's last king

Polish
Potocki

From Potok, stream; Polish magnate family

Polish

Q

Qajar

Turkic tribe; royal dynasty of Persia

Persian

R

Radziwiłł

From the given name Radvila; Polish-Lithuanian princes

Polish
Rákóczi

From Rákóc; Transylvanian princely house

Hungarian
Rathore

Rajput clan; rulers of Marwar and Jodhpur

Indian
von Richthofen

Judge's farm; Silesian barons

German
La Rochefoucauld

Rock of Foucauld; old French ducal house

French
de Rohan

From Rohan in Brittany; Breton princely house

French
Romanov

Son of Roman; Russian imperial house

Russian
Rosenkrantz

Rose wreath; Danish noble family

Nordic
della Rovere

Of the oak; papal dukes of Urbino

Italian
Russell

Little red one; Dukes of Bedford

English

S

Sapieha

Lithuanian-Polish magnates, origin uncertain

Polish
Savoia

House of Savoy, kings of Italy

Italian
della Scala

Of the ladder; lords of Verona

Italian
Schwarzenberg

Black mountain; Bohemian princely house

German
Scindia

Maratha ruling family of Gwalior

Indian
Scott

A Scot; Dukes of Buccleuch

Scottish
Seymour

From Saint-Maur in Normandy; Dukes of Somerset

English
Sforza

Italian, force or effort; dukes of Milan

Italian
Sheremetev

Russian boyar and count family, meaning uncertain

Russian
Shimazu

Island ford; daimyo of Satsuma

Japanese
de Silva

Of the woodland; Portuguese and Spanish nobility

Portuguese
Sinclair

From Saint-Clair in Normandy; Earls of Caithness

Scottish
Sisodia

Rajput clan; rulers of Mewar and Udaipur

Indian
Sobieski

From Sobieszyn; house of King Jan III

Polish
Somerset

Summer settlers; Dukes of Beaufort's family name

English
de Sousa

From the Sousa river; old Portuguese nobility

Portuguese
Spencer

Dispenser of provisions; Earls Spencer

English
Spinola

Genoese patricians, from spina, little thorn

Italian
Stafford

Landing-place ford; Dukes of Buckingham

English
Stanley

Stony clearing; Earls of Derby

English
von Stauffenberg

From Stauffenberg castle; Swabian counts

German
von Stein

Of the stone or castle rock; Rhineland barons

German
Stuart

Steward of the royal household; Scottish royal house

Scottish
Széchenyi

From Szécsény; Hungarian counts

Hungarian

T

Taira

Japanese, level or peaceful; samurai clan

Japanese
Takeda

Martial rice field; daimyo of Kai

Japanese
Talbot

Norman name of uncertain origin; Earls of Shrewsbury

English
de Talleyrand

Talleyrand-Périgord, counts of Périgord

French
von Thurn und Taxis

Tower and badger; imperial postmaster princes

German
Tokugawa

Japanese, virtuous river; shogunal family

Japanese
de Toledo

Of Toledo; Álvarez de Toledo, Dukes of Alba

Spanish
Tolstoy

Stout or thick; Russian counts

Russian
Trolle

Troll, from the family's arms; Danish-Swedish nobility

Nordic
Trubetskoy

From Trubchevsk; Russian princely house

Russian
Tudor

Welsh Tudur, people ruler; English royal house

Welsh

V

Valois

From the Valois region; French royal house

French
Vasa

From the sheaf in its arms; Swedish royal house

Nordic
de Vere

From Ver in Normandy; Earls of Oxford

English
Villiers

From Villiers in Normandy, farmstead; Dukes of Buckingham

English
Visconti

Italian, viscounts; lords and dukes of Milan

Italian
Volkonsky

From the Volkona river; Russian princes

Russian
Vorontsov

From voron, raven; Russian counts and princes

Russian

W

Wachtmeister

Watch master; Swedish counts

Nordic
Wadiyar

Chief or lord; rulers of Mysore

Indian
Wallenstein

Forest stone; Bohemian noble house of Waldstein

German
van Wassenaer

From Wassenaar; oldest Holland noble family

Dutch
von Weizsäcker

Possibly wheat sower; Württemberg barons

German
Welf

Whelp or young animal; Guelph dukes of Bavaria and Saxony

German
Wellesley

Clearing by a spring; Dukes of Wellington

English
Wettin

From Wettin castle; Saxon royal house

German
Wittelsbach

From Wittelsbach castle; Bavarian royal house

German
Wriothesley

Wrotti's clearing; Earls of Southampton

English

Y

Yi

Plum tree; royal house of Joseon Korea

Korean
Ypsilantis

Phanariot Greek princely family

Greek
Yusupov

Son of Yusuf; Tatar-descended Russian princes

Russian

Z

Zamoyski

From Zamoście; Polish magnate family

Polish
Zrínyi

From Zrin castle; Croatian-Hungarian nobles

Hungarian

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Results (6)

Grosvenor

Norman French, great huntsman; Dukes of Westminster

English
Paget

Little page, a young servant; Marquesses of Anglesey

English
Rosenkrantz

Rose wreath; Danish noble family

Nordic
Schwarzenberg

Black mountain; Bohemian princely house

German
du Plessis

Of the enclosed wood; family of Cardinal Richelieu

French
d'Harcourt

From Harcourt in Normandy; French ducal house

French

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What makes a last name sound noble

Most noble surnames come from land. A family took its name from the manor, castle or district it held, and the name travelled with the title. That is why so many sound like places: de Vere from Ver in Normandy, Montmorency from a town north of Paris, Percy from Percy en Auge. In many languages a particle marks the link, such as de in French and English, von in German and di or da in Italian.

Particles are a clue, not a rule. Plenty of German families with von were never noble, and the Dutch van usually just means from. Many great British houses, such as Howard, Cecil and Russell, have no particle at all. What makes a name feel noble to a reader is usually a mix of a place name, a long history and a hint of French, which is why Norman names still sound grand in English.

Titles, family names and double barrels

British nobles are usually known by their title rather than their surname. The Duke of Norfolk is a Howard, the Earl of Derby is a Stanley and the Marquess of Salisbury is a Cecil. In a story, this means a character might be called Lord Derby in the drawing room and Stanley only in family papers. Knowing the difference makes a period setting far more convincing.

Double barrelled names came from inheritance, often when a family married into an estate and agreed to add the heiress's surname to keep it alive, as with Spencer-Churchill and Bowes-Lyon. Continental nobles have their own long forms, such as a Hungarian Esterházy de Galántha or the German von und zu, meaning of and at, used by families who still lived on their original estates.

Using noble last names in fiction and games

Match the name to the country and period. A Regency romance calls for English names like Howard, Percy, Neville and Cavendish, while a story set in Vienna needs Esterházy, Schwarzenberg or Liechtenstein. For historical fiction, keep real names for background families and invent a title for your main characters, so you are free to write them without rewriting the history of a real family.

For fantasy, noble last names offer a useful template. Take a real place or landscape word, add a particle, and you have a believable house: de Ashby, von Hallen, di Monteverde. Use the letter filter to find a sound you like, and read the meanings for heraldry ideas. The royal generator linked on this page draws from a related list of royal and princely houses.

Frequently asked questions

What are some noble last names from England?

Howard, Percy, Neville, Cavendish, Stanley, Cecil, Russell, Talbot, Courtenay and de Vere are all real English noble families with long histories. Many have Norman roots, which is why they sound slightly French. Each entry on this page gives the origin and meaning.

Does von or de mean a family is noble?

Not always. In German, von often signals nobility, but many ordinary families used it too. In French, de is common in noble names but also in names that simply mean from a place. The Dutch van rarely indicates nobility at all.

What is the difference between a title and a surname?

A title, such as Duke of Norfolk or Earl of Derby, is a rank tied to a place. A surname, such as Howard or Stanley, is the family name. British nobles are usually addressed by title, so the surname can go almost unused in daily life.

Can I use these names in historical fiction?

Yes. Novelists use real noble names all the time. It is wise to invent titles or minor branches for your main characters, so you can give them flaws and adventures without making claims about real people or real families.