236 Fancy and Rich Last Names With Meanings

Rich last names carry a certain weight, whether the money came from an old dynasty, a new fortune, or a royal line. This list gathers 236 of them, with the origin and meaning behind each.

The wealth behind these names keeps growing. A record 3,428 people made the 2026 Forbes billionaires list, 400 more than the year before, worth a combined $20.1 trillion ⁽¹⁾. Some of those surnames are centuries old, and some were unknown one generation ago.

Plenty of them have crossed over into first names, so where U.S. birth records have something to say about a name, you will find its current rank beside the meaning.

10 Rich Last Names From The World’s Wealthiest

Here are ten rich last names from the world’s wealthiest non-royal families.

1. Ambani – of Indian Sanskrit origin, meaning “(of the) mother goddess.” India’s Ambani family turned it into shorthand for extreme wealth.
2. Arnault – with French Germanic roots, meaning “eagle power.” France’s Arnault family built its fortune selling luxury goods, so the name reads as money and taste at once.
3. Bettencourt – from a noble Norman French family and meaning “farm courtyard,” a plain farming sense for a name now attached to the founder of L’Oréal.
4. Cargill – a Scottish surname carried by the Cargill-MacMillans, descendants of the American businessman William Cargill.
5. Hermès – with French Greek origin, meaning “from the desert waste/the cairn.” The grave accent and the luxury-goods association do most of the work here.
6. Koch – means “cook” in German, an everyday kitchen word that became one of America’s best known industrial surnames.
7. Mars – from the Latin “mas,” meaning “male.” The Mars family built their empire on chocolate candies, and it is the fastest riser on this list as a U.S. first name, up 521% over the last 10 years of births against the 10 years before them, now at #1,615 in 2025.
8. Slim– from the Arabic Salim (safe), tied to the Mexican-Lebanese business magnate Carlos Slim Helú. It has not appeared in the U.S. baby name data since 1918.
9. Walton – the Old English pairing of “forest, spring, farmworker, foreigner” and “town,” associated with Walmart’s founders. It is the biggest comeback here: down to a handful of U.S. babies by 2010, then roughly eight times that rate again by 2025 (#2,449).
10. Wertheimer – a habitational Jewish surname for someone from Wertheim. The French Wertheimers co-founded Coco Chanel.

33 Rich Last Names From France

Here are 32 fancy French last names.

1. Bancel – first found in Champagne, and known today through Moderna’s CEO, Stéphane Bancel.
2. Beaufour – an Old French habitational surname meaning “fine beech,” carried by a French billionaire family.
3. Beauvalot – from the French “beau” (fine, handsome), associated with the French billionaire heiress Marie Besnier Beauvalot.
4. Bellon – from the French word “beau” (fine/handsome), also a Spanish word for “sheepskin fleece.”
5. Besnier – of uncertain meaning, associated with the billionaire founders of the dairy products corporation Lactalis.
6. Bolloré – a Breton-derived surname meaning “laurel bush,” with businessmen and CEOs among its notable bearers.
7. Bouygues – a rare surname of uncertain meaning, tied to the Bouygues family and their engineering group.
8. Carmignac – a rare surname of unknown meaning, associated with founder and entrepreneur Edouard Carmignac.
9. Cayard – a French billionaire family name of uncertain meaning, with under 300 bearers worldwide.
10. Dassault – an Old French surname meaning “from the grove copse/willow,” and the name behind the Dassault Group.
11. Decaux – for someone from Gascoigne or Pays de Caux. “Caux” means “lime/calcium carbonate” in Norman.
12. de Lacharrière – from Prissé-la-Charrière, a former commune in western France, and associated with Marc de Lacharrière.
13. Dentressangle – an extremely rare surname carried by the transportation and freight magnate Norbert Dentressangle.
14. De Peyster – is of Dutch origin, with uncertain meaning; the De Peysters were wealthy merchants and politicians.
15. Drahi – a variant of Jewish German Dreyfus(s), meaning “three feet,” and an Israeli-French billionaire.
16. Du Pont – a French surname meaning “of/from the bridge,” and about as old money as an American name gets.
17. Edelstenne – a French Germanic surname meaning “precious/noble stone,” associated with Charles Edelstenne of Dassault Group.
18. Feuillet – a diminutive of Old French “feuil” from the Latin “folia,” meaning “page, leaf (of a book).”
19. Fraisse – a variant of the French word for “strawberry,” belonging to French billionaire Bernard Fraisse.
20. Ginestet – a surname from Ginestet in southwestern France associated with French billionaire Philippe Ginestet.
21. Junique – of uncertain meaning, but known for Laurent Junique, a French billionaire CEO.
22. Latouche – from French for “touched,” given to someone from La Touche; associated with billionaire Christian Latouche.
23. Leclercq – a variant of the French Leclerc, “the clerk,” from the billionaires Michel Leclercq and his son.
24. Le Duff – from the Breton “du” (black), for someone with black hair, and the surname of the billionaire founder Louis Le Duff.
25. Martin– still a top 350 U.S. first name at #335 in 2025, and often associated with Gilles and Yves-Loic Martin, the most common surname in France.
26. Mérieux – a rare French surname of uncertain meaning, from the Mérieux entrepreneurial dynasty of Lyon.
27. Niel– Only about five U.S. babies a year are given it, putting it at #13,333 in 2025, though it began as an Anglicization of the Irish Niall, meaning “champion,” carried by the wealthy French businessman Xavier Niel.
28. Perrodo – a rare surname of uncertain meaning, associated with the billionaire Perrodo family.
29. Pinault – a diminutive of “pin” (pine), or a habitational surname from Le Pineau, associated with François-Henri Pinault.
30. Pomel – from Middle English and Old French, meaning “ball, knob,” from the Latin “pōmum” meaning “apple.”
31. Puech – from Occitan “puèg” (hill/mountain/mound), carried by the French billionaire heir Nicolas Puech.
32. Richelieu – means “wealthy place,” after the town of Richelieu, and it was also the title of a French duke.
33. Saadé – a variant of a nickname from Old French “sadé” (gracious, gentle), from Latin “sapidus” (savory).

28 Fancy Last Names of the Nouveau Riche

With less than three generations of wealth, here are 28 fancy surnames from nouveau riche.

1. Altrad – means “the traveler/merchant” or “horse rider” in Arabic from the French-Syrian billionaire Mohed Altrad.
2. Bazhayev – a variant of a Chechen surname associated with Ziya Yusupovich Bazhayev, a Chechen-Russian oil trader.
3. Chaudhary – from an Indian hereditary title meaning “holder of four,” carried by the Nepalese billionaire Binod Chaudhary.
4. Clinton – It peaked as a U.S. first name at #124 in 1981 and has slid to #1,732, tracing back to Glympton, pairing Old English “tūn” (settlement) with the river Glym.
5. Damani – It reached #1,156 for U.S. babies in 2012 and sits at #2,264 now, an Indian given name and surname from the Maheshwari Hindu caste or an ancient Gujarat tribe.
6. De Gasperis – an Italian surname from Gaspare, from Persian Kaspar (treasurer), associated with Alfredo De Gasperis.
7. Fenty – from the town of Fenton in Northern England, and famous through Robyn Rihanna Fenty.
8. Greenberg – from German “grün” (green) and “berg” (mountain), associated with the founders of Skechers.
9. Greiner – a nickname from the Germanic “grīner” (squabbler/quarreler) from American TV personality Lori Greiner.
10. Hartono – a Javanese patronymic for descendants of Harto (wealth/property), carried by the Indonesian billionaire Robert Hartono.
11. Haselsteiner – possibly from German “hasel” (hazel) and “steiner” (stoneworker/miner), associated with Austrian industrialist Hans Haselsteiner.
12. Helu – an Arabic surname meaning “sweet, pretty,” known through the wealthy Slim Helú family.
13. Hoffmann – is Middle High German for “farm-man/steward,” from the Hoffman-Oeris and the German-American Hoffmanns.
14. Kamprad – a Swedish variant of German Kamerad (comrade), and the surname of IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad.
15. Kwok – a variant of Chinese 郭 “guō” (city wall), associated with Hong Kong’s billionaire Kwok family. It shows up in the U.S. baby name records in a single year, 1981.
16. Latner – from Middle English “latoun” (brass) for a latten/brass maker, associated with Canada’s Latner family.
17. Marinho – from a given name meaning “of Mars” (the god), carried by the Brazilian businessman Roberto Marinho.
18. Piëch – a Slavic, Polish, and Czech diminutive of Piotr (rock), belonging to Louise Porsche’s husband, Anton Piëch.
19. Rahimkulov – is Uzbek for “son of Rahim,” belonging to Russian billionaire Mikhail Nikolaevich Rahimkulov.
20. Ramsay – from the Old English “hramsa-eg” (garlic island), shared by a Scottish clan and the chef Gordon Ramsay. Its use as a U.S. first name is up about a third on the previous decade, though still rare at #10,436.
21. Reyes – As a first name it peaked at #872 in 1947 and now sits at #2,976, and is Spanish for “kings,” a title for the Virgin Mary and the name of the Reyes brothers.
22. Salteri – an Italian surname for a salt seller/producer, associated with Australian businessman Carlo Salteri.
23. Sarkisov – means “son of Serkis,” from Armenian Serkis (servant) and the self-made billionaire Sergei Sarkisov.
24. Schaeffler – a variant of the German surname Schäffler, meaning “cooper,” and the name of Germany’s Schaeffler family.
25. Sy – a Filipino form of the Chinese Li (plum tree/plum) or Shi (stone). Roughly ten U.S. babies a year are given it as a first name.
26. Taravella – from the Italian “taravella,” a nickname meaning “crooked/deformed limb,” belonging to billionaire Alain Taravella.
27. Templeton – of English origin, meaning “temple town,” associated with the banker and philanthropist Sir John Templeton. It last appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1989.
28. Van Damme – is a Belgian town meaning “from Damme” (the dam), belonging to billionaire Alexandre Van Damme.

135 Sophisticated Old Money Last Names

Here are 136 fantastic multigenerational old money last names.

1. Acton – is Old English for “oak tree settlement/town,” tied to Lord Acton and his family. It surfaced in the U.S. baby name data exactly once, in 2018.
2. Agnelli – is Italian for “lambs,” from the landowning and manufacturing Agnelli dynasty.
3. Albrecht – a German form of Albert (noble and bright), associated with an aristocratic Austrian dynasty.
4. Al-Sharbatly – a rare Arabian surname associated with the multigenerational wealth of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Sharbatly family.
5. Astor– Use as a first name has more than doubled on the previous decade, to #5,052, though its roots are German French, from Occitan “astor, astur” (goshawk/hawk), and the surname of the Astor family.
6. Bardi – is Italian, from the Spanish nickname and surname Bardo (bard), associated with the House of Bardi.
7. Baring – a habitational surname from Baro meaning “man,” tied to the German and British Barings.
8. Bass – an English surname from the Latin “bassus” (thick/low), carried by the Bass family. It has not shown up in the U.S. baby name records since 1937.
9. Bayard– It sat at #1,233 for U.S. babies in 1918 and last charted in 2020, a literary name from the Old French “baiart” (bay-colored), tied to the prominent Bayard family.
10. Beauclerk – of Anglo-Norman origin, meaning “fine scholar,” associated with the English House of Beauclerk.
11. Bechtel – is German, from a diminutive of Bech (stream/brook), and the name of the billionaire Bechtel family.
12. Bentinck – a Dutch patronymic from the Germanic Bent(o) (bear), associated with the noble Bentinck family.
13. Birla – of Indian origin and uncertain meaning, associated with generations of the wealthy Birla family.
14. Boehringer – a German surname from the place name Böhringen, associated with Albert Boehringer and family.
15. Bombardier – a French surname meaning “good friend/companion” from the Canadian inventor Joseph-Armand Bombardier.
16. Borghese – is Italian from “borghése” (burgher/inhabitant of a fortified town), associated with the noble Borghese family.
17. Borgia – is Italian and Spanish, for someone from Borja, from the Arabic “burj” (tower), and the surname of House Borgia.
18. Brenninkmeijer – from the German “brenner” (burner), for someone who distilled spirits, belonging to the Brenninkmeijer family.
19. Busch – a Germanic surname for someone living by a “bush, copse,” associated with a brewing magnate.
20. Cabot – an Anglo-Norman diminutive of the nickname “cap” (head), associated with the Boston Brahmin Cabot family. Six U.S. babies were named Cabot in 2024.
21. Cambell – a variant of the Scottish Campbell meaning “crooked mouth,” carried by a family of English baronets. It is rare enough as a first name that it last charted in 2023.
22. Carnegie – is Scottish for “fort at the gap,” shared by a Scottish clan and a prominent American family.
23. Cecil– It was a U.S. top 100 first name in 1913 (#74) and now sits at #1,486, a Welsh name from the Latin Sextilius or Sextus (sixth), connected to the prominent Cecil family.
24. Chandler – an English surname from Old French for a “candle seller/maker,” associated with a publishing family. Parents pushed it to #151 in 1999, and it still ranks #753.
25. Charteris – a Scottish surname from Latin meaning “the Carnutes,” associated with several noble Scottish families.
26. Chearavanont – a Sino-Thai surname of uncertain meaning, associated with the billionaire Thai Chearavanont family.
27. Chichester – from Chichester, Sussex, combining the Old English Cissa and “ceaster” (Roman fort), associated with landowning earls.
28. Chirathivat – a Thai surname of uncertain meaning, associated with the billionaire Sino-Thai Chirathivat family.
29. Cooper – from Middle English “couper” for a “barrel/cask maker,” associated with baronets. It is the only name on this list still inside the U.S. top 100 for babies, at #27 in 2025.
30. Coors – a variant of the German Kuhrs (tower watchman), associated with a wealthy brewing and business family.
31. Corbin– As a first name it peaked at #203 in 2014 and now ranks #512, tracing to the French “corbeau” (raven), denoting dark hair, and a wealthy Virginian first family.
32. Coventry – from the Old English Cofa and “treow” (tree), tied to the aristocratic Coventry dynasty.
33. Cox – of English and Welsh origins, possibly meaning “rooster,” “mound, hill,” “red,” or “little.”
34. Cushing – an English variant of the surname Cousin and an Americanized spelling of French Cauchon, meaning “slipper.”
35. De’Longhi – is Italian for “the longs, talls, ancients,” associated with the billionaire manufacturing De’Longhi family.
36. De Mévius – from the Old Germanic Maffei, meaning “gift of Jehovah,” from Belgium’s wealthy de Mévius family.
37. De Spoelberch – is Dutch with uncertain meaning, associated with the Belgian noble House of Spoelberch.
38. De Vere – means “from Vere,” a French location, from Gaulish for “alder,” associated with the aristocratic de Veres.
39. Donnelley – an Anglicized Irish surname from Gaelic Ó Donnghaile, meaning “descendant of Donnghal.”
40. Doppelmayr – is German for “double mayor” or “steward of two,” associated with the millionaire Doppelmayr family.
41. Dorrance – possibly from the Gaelic “torran,” meaning “hillock, little hills,” tied to the American-Irish Dorrance family. It has not charted as a U.S. first name since 1983.
42. Erskine – a Scottish and aristocratic clan name, possibly from Gaelic for “projecting height.” It ranked #1,035 for U.S. babies in 1921 and last appeared in 2011.
43. Este– It is new to the U.S. data, first charting in 2021 and reaching #7,605 in 2025, a Finnish French variant of Esther (star), related to the European noble House of Este.
44. Ferrero – is Italian and Spanish meaning “(iron) smith,” associated with Italy’s Ferrero family.
45. FitzRoy – an Anglo-Norman patronymic meaning “son of the king,” and an English aristocratic house. About eight U.S. babies a year carry it as a first name.
46. Forbes– It still charts as a U.S. first name, barely, at #9,176, from the Scottish Gaelic “forbais,” meaning “(at the) field, land,” and the surname of the Forbes publishing family.
47. Ford – from Old English “ford” (river crossing), tied to the multigenerational billionaire Ford family. Its use as a first name has nearly quadrupled on the previous decade, to #474 in 2025.
48. Fugger – is Austrian for a sheep farmer or wool weaver, associated with the House of Fugger.
49. Gardiner – is English, from the Old French “gardinier” (gardener/planter), and the name of New England founder Lion Gardiner. It dropped out of the U.S. baby name data after 1979.
50. Getty – of Irish Gaelic origin meaning “hill,” “valley,” or “wind,” associated with the industrialist Getty family. As a first name it is vanishingly rare, last charting in 2011.
51. Goelet – a nickname for a glutton or topographic surname from the Old French “goulet” (gullet).
52. Goldman – a Jewish surname meaning “gold man” in German, denoting a goldsmith, and half of Goldman-Sachs. It last appeared as a U.S. first name in 1940.
53. Gondi – possibly an Italian or French patronym, associated with the noble Florentine Gondi family.
54. Graham– It is at its best U.S. rank ever right now, #120 in 2025, tracing to a place called Grantham, meaning “gravel/gray/gloomy hamlet” in Old English.
55. Griswold – from the French “gris” (gray) or Old English “greosn” (gravel) and “weald” (wood).
56. Grosvenor – from Anglo-Norman “le grand veneur” (the master huntsman), worn down over time to “le gros veneur” (the big/fat huntsman).
57. Haas – is German and Dutch from a nickname meaning “hare,” associated with the billionaire Haas family.
58. Harrison – a medieval English patronym meaning “son of Harry (Henry),” tied to Virginia’s landowning Harrison family. It ranks #116 for U.S. babies, close to its 2016 best of #107.
59. Hartwick – possibly from German for “hardy” or Old English “heordewic” (dweller by a sheep farm).
60. Hasenfratz – from the German nickname “hasenfratze” (hare-faced), associated with the billionaire Hasenfratz family.
61. Hatton– Hatton draws on English, French, and Gaelic roots meaning “heather settlement,” and also Germanic “hadu” (battle). Its U.S. first-name use has held flat, at #12,703 in 2025.
62. Havemeyer – of German origin, associated with the wealthy German-American Havemeyer family.
63. Hay – a Scottish and English nickname meaning “tall,” and a surname for the dweller by an “enclosure.” It charted in the U.S. once, in 2011.
64. Hearst – is English for the dweller by the “wooded hill,” and one of the media dynasties often cited behind HBO’s Succession.
65. Heineken – a Dutch German patronym meaning “son of little Hein,” associated with Heineken’s founder and descendants.
66. Henkel – from the Dutch Henk, a diminutive of Hendrik (home ruler), associated with the German Henkel family.
67. Herbert – is Germanic for “bright army” or “shining warrior,” carried by the aristocratic Herbert dynasty. It hit #25 for U.S. babies in 1928 and has drifted to #2,656.
68. Hougen – a Norwegian name from Old Norse, “haugr” (hill/knoll), from the Yukon’s richest family.
69. Howard– A U.S. top 25 first name in 1919, it now ranks #1,004, tracing to the Old Norse Hávarðr (high guardian/battle guard) or Middle English “ewehirde” (ewe herder).
70. Huntington – combines the Old English “hunta” (hunter) with “tun” (settlement) or “dun” (hill), and belonged to three prominent families. Fewer than ten U.S. babies a year receive it.
71. Innes-ker – means “island” and “one strength” in Scottish, associated with Scottish clans and the aristocratic Innes-Kers.
72. Johnson – an Anglo-Norman patronymic meaning “son of John,” and the founding owners of Johnson&Johnson. As a first name it has thinned to #3,406.
73. Kemper– Its U.S. first-name use is down about 40 percent on the previous decade, at #6,288, and it is German for a farmer or serf, and Dutch for someone who grew hemp.
74. Ker – from Scottish and Middle English “kerr” (thicket/marsh), noted for the aristocratic Innes-Ker family. It last charted as a U.S. first name in 1991.
75. Kristiansen – a Scandinavian patronymic meaning “son of Kristian,” associated with the Lego Company founders.
76. Kwek – a romanization of the Chinese 郭 “guō” (city wall) from the Singaporean billionaire Kwek family.
77. Lauder – from the Celtic Lauuedder, denoting a rapid river and a cognate of the Welsh “llifer” (to gush).
78. Lenox – from the Scottish Gaelic Leamhnachd, meaning “place of elm trees,” from the Scottish American Lenox dynasty. U.S. parents have more than tripled its use in a decade, to #1,356.
79. Leon– is Spanish for “lion” with Greek roots, from Canada’s millionaire Leon family. It is #138 in 2025 for U.S. babies, after nearly tripling in a decade.
80. Livingston – is Scottish, pairing Leving and “toun” (town, settlement), and the name of the aristocratic Scottish Livingstons. About five U.S. babies a year still get it.
81. Lowell– It reached #147 in 1931 and holds around #3,281 today, from the French “lou” (wolf), meaning “little/young wolf,” belonging to the Boston Brahmin’s Lowell family.
82. Lumley – from the Old English “lum(m)” (pool) and “lēah” (woodland clearing), associated with the Lumely barons.
83. Manners – a Norman and Scottish Gaelic surname meaning “to reside,” tied to the aristocratic Manners family.
84. Maranghi – of Italian origin, with uncertain meaning, belonging to banking magnate Vincenzo Maranghi and his descendants.
85. Medici – an Italian surname and the plural of “medico” (doctor), from the aristocratic Medici family.
86. Mellon – with Irish Gaelic roots from “meall” (pleasant), associated with the wealthy Mellon family. It charted as a U.S. first name in one year only, 1924.
87. Milliken – from the Scottish and Irish patronymic Ó Maolagáin (descendant of Maolagán), from “maol” (bald).
88. Mittal – a Hindu Sanskrit surname meaning “friend, ally,” associated with the magnate Lakshmi Mittal.
89. Møller – a Danish surname for a “miller,” associated with the Møller shipping family.
90. Molson – possibly an Anglo-Scottish matronymic from Mary, associated with the Canadian Molson dynasty.
91. Montagu – a Norman location meaning “pointed/sharp mountain” in Old French, tied to the aristocratic House Montagu.
92. Morgan – from the Old Welsh Morcant, combining “mor” (sea) and “cant” (circle), from the Morgan dynasty. It is the steepest faller here, down about 60 percent on the previous decade, though still #312.
93. Newhouse – an English surname starting with N for someone inhabiting a “new house,” associated with America’s Newhouse family.
94. Ofer – means “fawn” in Hebrew associated with the Monaco-based billionaire magnate Eyal Ofer and his family.
95. Oppenheimer – a Jewish German surname for someone from Oppenheim, and the name of the Oppenheimer mining family.
96. Paget – is Anglo-Norman for “little page (servant),” belonging to the aristocratic Anglo-Welsh Paget family. It last charted as a U.S. first name in 1972.
97. Percy – an Anglo-Norman surname from the Old French “percehaie” (pierce hedge), associated with England’s House of Percy. Its U.S. first-name use has doubled in a decade, to #1,279.
98. Pitcairn – a Scottish surname of Pictish-Gaelic origin, associated with the wealthy Scottish-American Pitcairn family.
99. Porsche – a German surname from Boris, meaning “short,” “wolf” or “snow leopard.” It had a run as a U.S. first name in the late 1980s (#916 in 1987) and has faded since.
100. Pritzker – a Ukrainian Jewish surname for someone from Pritski, carried by a wealthy American family.
101. Pulitzer – a Hungarian German surname from a place called Pölitz/Pullitz (police), now attached to the Pulitzer Prize.
102. Quandt – is Middle Low German for “prankster, joker,” an odd fit for the industrial empire of Germany’s Quandt family.
103. Rausing – a rare Swedish surname combining “belonging to, from” and Raus (a parish in Sweden).
104. Reimann – a diminutive of the German Rheinmann, for someone from the Rhineland, meaning “rich counsel.”
105. Rockefeller – a German surname for someone from Rockenfeld, associated with America’s Rockefeller family. It appeared in the U.S. baby name data in exactly one year, 2019.
106. Roosevelt – is Dutch for “rose field,” associated with New York’s wealthy Roosevelt family. It reached #132 for U.S. babies in 1933 and now sits at #4,362.
107. Rothschild – from the German “zum rothen Schild” (to the red shield), and one of the most recognizable banking surnames in Europe.
108. Rutherfurd – is Scottish, from the Old English “hriðerford” (cattle/ox ford), associated with America’s Rutherfurd family.
109. Sachs – denotes someone from Saxony, from the Germanic “sahsą” (knife), and co-founder of Goldman-Sachs.
110. Safra – is Jewish from Arabic for “yellow, gold” or Aramaic for “scribe,” associated with the gold-trading Safras.
111. Schermerhorn – a Dutch toponymic for “woodland clearing” or “fencer/forest horn,” associated with wealthy Dutch-American aristocrats.
112. Schröder – a Germanic surname meaning “tailor,” from the British ruling-class Schröder family.
113. Schuyler– Schuyler is a Dutch form of the German Schuler (scholar/student), from a wealthy landowning Dutch-American family. Its first-name use has halved on the previous decade, to #11,769.
114. Scripps – a nickname from the Middle English “scrip(pe)” (small bag/satchel), associated with the Scripps’ media conglomerate.
115. Seymour– A U.S. top 200 first name in 1924, it is rare now at #7,594, an Anglo-Norman surname from St. Maur or from “sæ” (sea) and “mer” (lake), associated with country gentry.
116. Shaimiev – of Tatar or Turkic roots, associated with the Russian Shaimiev family.
117. Shea – an Anglicized Irish name meaning “fine, favorable, good,” tied to the billionaire Shea family. It has held near #1,159 for U.S. babies.
118. Spencer – from the court title “dispenser” (steward), from the Middle English “spense” (larder/pantry), often British aristocrats. Still a top 400 U.S. first name at #360, down from #84 in 1998.
119. Stanley – an English surname meaning “stone clearing” associated with the aristocratic Stanley family. It ranked #34 for U.S. babies in 1915 and has been flat lately at #863.
120. Stryker– It first charted in the U.S. in 1990 and now ranks #2,597, a German occupational surname meaning “tester,” for someone who measured grain or cloth.
121. Stuyvesant – from Dutch, possibly meaning “drifting sand, sand dune,” associated with the landowning Stuyvesant family.
122. Sutherland – from Old Norse “suðrland,” meaning “southern land,” associated with the aristocratic Highland Scottish Clan Sutherland. It only began charting as a U.S. first name in 2017.
123. Talbot – is Anglo-Norman, possibly with Germanic roots, meaning “to destroy the message” or “bright and bold.” It last charted for U.S. babies in 2020.
124. Thomson – an English surname meaning “son of Thomas,” carried by Canada’s wealthy aristocratic Thomson family. It is the rarest name on this list among U.S. babies, at #13,694 in 2025.
125. Thynne – from Old English “þynne” (thin) or the designation “of th’Inne,” associated with marquesses of Bath.
126. Van Cortlandt – is Dutch for “from the short land,” associated with the political Van Cortlandt dynasty.
127. Vanderbilt – from Dutch, meaning “(dweller) by the low hill,” associated with America’s Vanderbilt family. It last appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1955.
128. Van Leer – is Dutch and German, originally Von Löhr, meaning “from Lohr” or “from Valär (castle).”
129. Van Rensselaer – a Dutch surname meaning “from Renselaar,” associated with the landowning Dutch-American Van Rensselaer family.
130. Von Baumbach – a German surname meaning “from Baumbach” (tree stream), associated with Germany’s Von Baumbach family.
131. Wallenberg – a Swedish surname combining “wallen” (ramparts/walls) and “berg” (mountain).
132. Welser – a German surname for someone from Wels, associated with the patrician and merchant-banking Welsers family.
133. Wendel – from the Germanic element “wentil,” meaning a “Vandal,” associated with the fur-trading Wendel family.
134. Whitney – an Old English surname meaning “white island,” from the prominent Whitney dynasty.
135. Winthrop – from the Old English “wine” (friend) and Old Norse “thorp” (settlement), associated with America’s Winthrop family.

20 Fancy Last Names From Royalty

Here are 20 fancy last names from royal families around the world.

1. Akinruntan – the surname of the Ugbo Kingdom of Nigeria’s royal family.
2. Al Saud – pairs the Arabic “aal” (family) and Su’ud (fortune), and belongs to Saudi Arabia’s ruling royal family.
3. Bonaparte – from the Italian “bona” (good) and “parte” (solution/match), and the name of a European imperial and royal dynasty.
4. Bosonid – from Boso, medieval Germanic for “leader, nobleman,” a royal dynasty founded by Boso the Elder.
5. Bourbon – from Celtic and pre-Celtic “borb” (hot spring), and a royal house in both France and Spain.
6. Bruce – an Anglo Norman name from a town in Normandy, associated with a Scottish clan and royal house.
7. Buckingham – an English surname meaning “water meadow,” from a former county seat associated with Buckingham palace.
8. Capet – from an Old French nickname meaning “little duck,” associated with a French royal dynasty.
9. Chakri – from Thailand’s ruling dynasty, also spelled Chakkri, referring to “chakra” and the trident Trishula.
10. Courtenay – is French for “from the court” and an Old French nickname, “court nes” (short nose).
11. Grimaldi – is Italian, from Old German Grimwald (mask authority), and the ruling house of Monaco.
12. Habsburg – from High German Habichtsburg, meaning “hawk’s castle,” and one of Europe’s most prominent royal dynasties.
13. Lancaster – from Loncastre, combining “lon” (a River Lune fort) and the Old English “ceaster” (city), associated with royalty.
14. Liechtenstein – from the Germanic “lieht” (bright) and “stein” (stone), associated with Liechtenstein’s hereditary monarchy.
15. MacAlpin – is Scottish for “son of Alpin,” from “alp” (lump), associated with a Gaelic king.
16. Mountbatten – from the town of Battenberg (Mount Batten), and a branch of the princely Battenbergs.
17. Thani – or Al Thanian, is an Arabic surname associated with Qatar’s ruling house.
18. Valois -a surname for someone residing in a valley, associated with a French royal house.
19. Wettin – a dynasty of German kings, prince-electors, and nobles from their ancestral castle near Wettin town.
20. Windsor – means “riverbank with a windlass,” or Old English for “windy slope/ridge,” and the name Britain’s royal family uses.

10 Rich-Sounding Last Names for Characters

Here are ten fancy surnames perfect for characters.

1. Abercromby – from the Scottish Pictish Abarcrumbach, either “joining of rivers at a bend” or “mouth of the bendy river.”
2. Canterbury – from Old English Cantwareburh, meaning “stronghold of the Kentish men,” for someone from Canterbury.
3. Carrington – an English surname and given name meaning “rocky settlement/town.”
4. Cavendish – associated with British nobility, from the Old English “Cafa/Cafna,” pairing “caf” (bold) with “edisc” (enclosure).
5. Davenport – from a Celtic cognate of the Middle Welsh “dafnu” (to trickle) and the Old English “port” (market town).
6. De Grâce – is French for “of/from Grace,” given to someone from La Grâce in Marne.
7. FitzGerald – a dignified Irish patronymic of Norman origin, from Fitz (son of) and Gerald.
8. Hawthorne – from Old English, meaning “haw berry thorn bush,” and the surname of Salem’s Hawthorne family.
9. Kensington – from the Old English Cynesige, and the connective “-ing” and “tūn,” meaning “farmstead, town.”
10. Lavish – is English for “rich, luxurious,” and also comes from the Hindu Sanskrit Lav, meaning “tiny, small particle.”

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