If You Have One Of These Last Names You May Be Related To A Royal Family…

You don’t have to be an aristocrat to have royal ancestry. If your surname appears in our list, you may be related to royalty.

Many families have stories of royalty in the family tree — and while many of these turn out to be just that, stories — it sure can be fun to investigate. Even if you don’t have tales of Kings and Queens in your past, you might be surprised to discover that having noble connections is actually somewhat common.

One of the most obvious places to begin looking is at your early American ancestors (if you have them). A good deal of these families had aristocratic connections and there are a plethora of books that document these lineages.

To help with your search, we’ve uncovered a list of surnames that may indicate that you’ve got royal blood via AWM:

• Watts

This name is linked to the King of Scotland, Robert II, who was in power from 1371 to 1390. One such descendant of the Watts line was Mary Alexander, who was born in 1749. She was wed to John Watts of New York and proceeded to create a new line of royal blood within the United States.

• Adams

People with this last name could be linked to William the Conqueror, the King of England from 1066 to 1087. One notable descendant of the king was the sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams, who was born in Massachusetts in 1767.

• Roberts

Edward I was King of England from 1272 to 1307. One descendant of this monarch was born in 1781 and named Elizabeth Evans. She married Cadwalader Roberts and changed her name to this common one.

• Livingston

The King of Scotland, James I, reigned from 1406 to 1437. The name Livingston has been linked to this monarch, and one more modern descendant of this man was Edward Livingston, the former mayor of New York City who was born in 1764.

• Lewis

The King of England, Edmund Ironside, ruled for only a few months from April to November 1016. One famous descendant of this English king was Sarah Claypoole, who was born in 1802 and married William David Lewis.

The King of France from 1027 to 1060 was Henry I. His descendant, Margaret Wendell, was born in 1739 and married William Phillips, creating a new family name linked to the French monarch.

• O’Brien

The High King of Ireland from 1002 to 1014 was Brian Boru. One famous descendant of this Irish king was Reverend Matthew Patrick O’Brien from Philadelphia. He was born in 1837.

Source: AWM