Fit for a Princess
Royal Boy Names
167 names, each with its meaning, U.S. popularity, and an audio pronunciation.
Looking for girl names instead? Royal Girl Names →
Open a book of British or Persian kings and you are essentially reading a baby name list. Royal boy names earn the label the hard way, through actual reigns. Frederick ruled in Prussia and Denmark and still sounds like a library. Kenneth and Malcolm both belonged to kings of Scotland, Stephen to a king of England, and Cyrus to the founder of the Persian Empire. Edwin goes back further still, to Anglo-Saxon Northumbria. These are heavy, dignified names and they do not need explaining.
The Celtic and Iberian branches lighten the mood considerably. Rory carries Irish high-king history in a name that sounds like a friendly kid on a soccer pitch, and Rhys and Reece both trace to Welsh princely lines. Fernando named kings of Spain and Portugal without ever sounding stuffy, and Archie is pure warmth with a very current royal association. Malik means king in Arabic, and Lewis is the British form of a name worn by eighteen French kings. For the direct approach, Prince and Royal skip the genealogy entirely.
Every name below opens to its full page — a sourced meaning, its U.S. popularity, and a clear audio pronunciation so you can hear it before you fall for it.
Royal Boy Names
Rory#199 in the U.S.Red king; from Irish Gaelic Ruaidhri (ruadh: red + ri: king)▶Cyrus#268 in the U.S.Sun; far-sighted; possibly throne or young▶Malcolm#272 in the U.S.Devotee or servant of Saint Columba▶Kenneth#294 in the U.S.Born of fire; handsome▶Archie#301 in the U.S.Truly brave; genuine and bold▶Ricardo#380 in the U.S.Spanish and Portuguese form of Richard, from Germanic elements ric meaning power and hard meani▶Stephen#383 in the U.S.From Greek Stephanos meaning crown or garland, the symbol of victory and honor in classical ant▶Fernando#387 in the U.S.Spanish and Portuguese form of Ferdinand, from Germanic elements frid (peace, journey) and nand▶Edwin#398 in the U.S.From Old English Eadwine, combining ead meaning wealth, fortune, or prosperity and wine meaning▶Rhys#412 in the U.S.From Welsh Rhys meaning ardor, enthusiasm, or passion; a historic Welsh royal and warrior name▶Lewis#433 in the U.S.English and Welsh form of Louis, from Old High German Hludwig meaning renowned warrior, combini▶Frederick#435 in the U.S.From Old High German Frithuric or Friduric, combining fridu meaning peace and ric meaning ruler▶Malik#437 in the U.S.From Arabic malik meaning king, master, or sovereign; one of the 99 names of God in Islam (Al-M▶Prince#447 in the U.S.From Old French 'prince' and Latin 'princeps' meaning 'first one' or 'chief,' referring to a ro▶Reece#460 in the U.S.Welsh name from 'Rhys,' meaning 'ardor,' 'enthusiasm,' or 'fiery spirit'; Reece is an Anglicize▶Royal#476 in the U.S.From the English word 'royal,' derived from Old French 'roial' and Latin 'regalis' meaning king▶Hezekiah#485 in the U.S.From Hebrew 'Khizqiyahu,' composed of 'khazaq' (strong, to strengthen) and 'Yahu' (a form of Ya▶Edgar#486 in the U.S.From Old English 'Eadgar,' composed of 'ead' (rich, fortune, prosperity) and 'gar' (spear), mea▶Alonzo#511 in the U.S.Spanish form of Alfonso, from the Visigothic name Alfons composed of adal (noble) + funs (ready▶Roy#525 in the U.S.From the Old French roi meaning 'king,' used as a nickname; alternatively derived from the Scot▶Philip#528 in the U.S.From Greek Philippos, a compound of philos ('loving') and hippos ('horse'), meaning 'lover of h▶Emir#551 in the U.S.From Arabic amir meaning 'prince,' 'commander,' or 'one who gives orders,' from the root a-m-r ▶Saul#557 in the U.S.From Hebrew Sha'ul, from sha'al meaning 'to ask' or 'to inquire,' giving the meaning 'asked for▶Enrique#571 in the U.S.Ruler of the home; the Spanish form of Henry, from the Germanic Heimrich meaning 'home ruler' (▶Maximilian#590 in the U.S.From Latin Maximilianus, a blend of Maximus ('the greatest') and Aemilianus (from the Aemilii f▶Louie#596 in the U.S.Variant of Louis, from Old Frankish Hluodwig, composed of hlud ('fame,' 'renowned') and wig ('w▶Amiri#604 in the U.S.From Arabic amir meaning 'prince,' 'commander,' or 'ruler,' with the possessive suffix -i meani▶Nikolai#605 in the U.S.Russian form of Nicholas, from Greek Nikolaos, composed of nike ('victory') and laos ('people')▶Kyro#611 in the U.S.Variant of Cyrus, from Greek Kyros which may derive from Persian Kūruš meaning 'sun' or 'like t▶Albert#614 in the U.S.From Old High German Adalbert, composed of adal ('noble,' 'of noble birth') and beraht ('bright▶Gustavo#625 in the U.S.Spanish and Italian form of Gustav, from Old Swedish Göstaff or Germanic Gus (Geat people) and ▶Phillip#651 in the U.S.From Greek Philippos, composed of philein meaning to love and hippos meaning horse; the name wa▶Lionel#659 in the U.S.From Old French lionel, a diminutive of lion, from Latin leo meaning lion; used in medieval Fra▶Donald#690 in the U.S.Ruler of the world; from Scottish Gaelic Domhnall, combining domhan (world) and all (rule, migh▶Dario#760 in the U.S.Possessor of goodness or maintains goodness well; the Italian and Spanish form of Darius, from ▶Magnus#765 in the U.S.Great or mighty; from the Latin magnus meaning great or large, adopted into Old Norse as a give▶Harry#775 in the U.S.Home ruler or ruler of the estate; an English pet form of Henry or Harold, from the Germanic el▶Alonso#785 in the U.S.Noble and ready or ready for battle; the Spanish form of Alfonso, from the Visigothic Germanic ▶Darius#788 in the U.S.Possessor of goodness or he who upholds good; from Old Persian Darayavahush, combining daraya m▶Alfredo#820 in the U.S.Italian and Spanish form of Alfred, from the Old English Aelfred, composed of aelf (elf, supern▶Alfred#840 in the U.S.From Old English Aelfred, composed of aelf (elf, a being associated with supernatural wisdom in▶Conor#845 in the U.S.Irish Gaelic Conchobhar, from con (hound, wolf) and cobhar (desiring, loving), traditionally in▶Rex#859 in the U.S.From the Latin rex (king), the direct Latin word for a monarch; used as a given name evoking ro▶Aslan#860 in the U.S.From the Turkic aslan meaning 'lion'; a royal title and given name used across Central Asian Tu▶Eddie#861 in the U.S.Pet form of Edward or Edmund, from Old English ead (wealth, fortune) and weard/mund (guard, pro▶Carlo#869 in the U.S.Italian form of Charles, from the Old High German Karl, meaning 'free man' or 'strong man'; the▶Leroy#888 in the U.S.From Old French le roi meaning the king; a surname borne by those who worked in a royal househo▶Guillermo#902 in the U.S.Spanish form of William, from Old High German Willahelm, composed of wil (will, desire, determi▶Rey#908 in the U.S.From Spanish rey meaning king; also used as a variant of the English name Ray, itself a short f▶Alfonso#920 in the U.S.Noble and ready; ready for battle; from Germanic Adalfuns (adal: noble + funs: eager, ready)▶Darian#928 in the U.S.Variant of Darius, from Old Persian Dārayavahush, composed of daraya (to hold, to maintain) and▶Felipe#955 in the U.S.Spanish and Portuguese form of Philip, from Greek Philippos composed of philos meaning lover or▶Ameer#980 in the U.S.Arabic variant spelling of Amir, meaning prince, commander, ruler, or one who gives commands, f▶Kingsley#984 in the U.S.King's meadow; from Old English cyning (king) + leah (clearing, meadow)▶Joziah#989 in the U.S.God supports; Yahweh heals; Z-spelling variant of Josiah, from Hebrew Yoshiyahu (Yahweh support▶Duncan#1102 in the U.S.Dark warrior; brown warrior; from Scottish Gaelic Donnchadh (donn: brown, dark + cath: battle, ▶Ramiro#1158 in the U.S.Wise judge; supreme judge; from Germanic Raginmar (ragin: counsel, power + mari: famous, renown▶Archibald#1174 in the U.S.Genuinely bold; truly brave; from Germanic Ercanbeald (ercan: genuine, sincere + beald: bold, b▶Edmund#1182 in the U.S.Wealthy protector; fortunate guardian; from Old English Eadmund (ead: prosperity, wealth + mund▶Sultan#1297 in the U.S.Power, authority, sovereign ruler▶Kiyan#1383 in the U.S.King, royal, of the Kayanian dynasty▶Kyngston#2289 in the U.S.king's estate, royal town▶Casimir#2393 in the U.S.Proclaimer of peace; from Polish Kazimierz (kazac: to command/proclaim + mir: peace)▶Hamdan#3005 in the U.S.Praiseworthy; one who praises▶Hashem#3006 in the U.S.Crusher of bread; generous provider▶Aviraj#3039 in the U.S.King of the sun; radiant ruler▶Kayan#3067 in the U.S.A Persian name from the ancient Kayan dynasty of Iranian mythology, meaning royal or kingly; as▶Eduar#3109 in the U.S.Spanish truncation of Eduardo/Edward, from Old English Eadweard, composed of ead (wealth, fortu▶Eduard#3110 in the U.S.German, Romanian, Catalan, and other European form of Edward, from Old English Eadweard compose▶Prynce#3135 in the U.S.Creative spelling of Prince, from Old French prince and Latin princeps ('first citizen,' 'leade▶Kiyaan#3183 in the U.S.Persian/Sanskrit name meaning 'king,' 'ancient,' or 'full of life'; also used in Arabic context▶Maleek#3185 in the U.S.Variant spelling of Malik, from Arabic malik (مَلِك) meaning 'king, sovereign, master'▶Jahan#3235 in the U.S.World, universe; from Persian jahan, famous from the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, 'King of the Wo▶Stuart#3255 in the U.S.Steward, household guardian; from Old English stigweard, the occupational name that became Scot▶Kalani#3292 in the U.S.The heavens, the sky; royal, chiefly — from Hawaiian ka lani, an element of many Hawaiian royal▶Boris#3328 in the U.S.From the Bulgar khan's name Boris, possibly Turkic for 'wolf' or 'short'; folk tradition links ▶Darrius#3333 in the U.S.Double-r spelling of Darius, from Old Persian Darayavaush, traditionally 'possessing goodness' ▶Dietrich#3335 in the U.S.Ruler of the people; German form of Theodoric, from Germanic theud, 'people', and ric, 'ruler, ▶Gustav#3340 in the U.S.Traditionally 'staff of the Geats' (or 'of the gods'), the dynastic name of Swedish kings from ▶Shahzain#3373 in the U.S.Modern Pakistani compound of Persian shah, 'king', and Arabic zain, 'beauty, grace' — read as '▶Sigismund#3410 in the U.S.Sigismund comes from the Old Germanic elements sigu, 'victory,' and munt, 'protection,' giving ▶Rudolph#3436 in the U.S.Famous wolf; from Germanic hrod, 'fame', and wulf, 'wolf' — a Habsburg name eclipsed by a red-n▶Sulayman#3440 in the U.S.The Quranic form of Solomon — Hebrew Shlomo, from shalom, 'peace' — the prophet-king who spoke ▶Amaziah#3448 in the U.S.Yahweh strengthens, the strength of the Lord; a king of Judah in the books of Kings and Chronic▶Callaghan#3460 in the U.S.From Irish Ó Ceallacháin, 'descendant of Cellachán' — a king of Munster whose name is variously▶Henryk#3540 in the U.S.Polish form of Henry — from Germanic Heimirich, 'home ruler' (heim, 'home', plus ric, 'ruler')▶Reyes#3570 in the U.S.From Spanish reyes, 'kings' — a surname from 'Los Reyes', the Three Kings (Magi); Latin reges▶Viraaj#3581 in the U.S.Splendor, radiance, majesty; from Sanskrit viraj — 'to shine forth, to rule, the resplendent on▶Henrique#3621 in the U.S.Portuguese form of Henry — Germanic Heimirich, heim, 'home', plus ric, 'ruler' — 'home ruler'▶Kaan#3723 in the U.S.From Turkish kağan/kaan, 'khan of khans, supreme ruler' — the steppe emperor's title▶Tafari#3760 in the U.S.From Amharic Tafari, 'one who is feared/awesome, awe-inspiring' — Haile Selassie's birth name, ▶Vittorio#3768 in the U.S.Italian form of Victor — Latin victor, 'conqueror' — kings' and directors' favorite▶Joash#3829 in the U.S.From Hebrew Yoash, 'Yahweh has given/bestowed' — the king hidden in the temple as a baby▶Obi#3854 in the U.S.From Igbo obi, 'heart' — also a royal title (the Obi of Onitsha); galaxy-famous via Obi-Wan▶Rupert#3863 in the U.S.German form of Robert — 'bright fame' — cavalier princes and Grint-Weasley warmth▶Suleyman#3870 in the U.S.Turkish form of Solomon — 'man of peace' — Suleiman the Magnificent's imperial name▶Zedekiah#3881 in the U.S.From Hebrew Tsidqiyahu, 'Yahweh is righteousness' — the final king of Judah▶Amaury#3882 in the U.S.French form of Amalric — Gothic amal, 'work/vigor', plus ric, 'ruler' — crusader-king pedigree▶Ferdinand#3902 in the U.S.From Germanic fardi, 'journey', plus nand, 'daring' — 'bold voyager'; Habsburg-Spanish royal st▶Hisham#3909 in the U.S.From Arabic hashama, 'to break (bread)' — generosity personified; caliphal pedigree▶Jotham#3916 in the U.S.From Hebrew Yotam, 'Yahweh is perfect/complete' — Judah's builder-king and Gideon's parable-son▶Laszlo#3930 in the U.S.Hungarian László — from Slavic Vladislav, 'glorious rule' — knight-king and noir-hero stocked▶Mehran#3940 in the U.S.From Persian Mehr (Mithra, 'sun/kindness') plus -an — a noble Sasanian house▶Oswin#3948 in the U.S.Old English os, 'god', plus wine, 'friend' — the martyred gentle king of Deira▶Stewart#3958 in the U.S.Old English stigweard, 'hall guardian' — the office that crowned a dynasty (Stuart kings)▶Ezana#3999 in the U.S.From Ezana, the 4th-century king of Aksum who made Christianity the state religion; a Ge'ez/Eth▶Maximilliano#4022 in the U.S.Spanish form of Maximilian — from Latin Maximus, 'greatest' (plus Aemilianus) — 'the greatest'▶Rainier#4033 in the U.S.From Germanic Raginhari — ragin, 'advice, counsel', plus hari, 'army' — 'wise army, counsel-war▶Aleksandar#4061 in the U.S.Slavic form of Alexander — Greek alexein, 'to defend', plus aner, 'man' — 'defender of the peop▶Alexios#4062 in the U.S.From Greek alexein, 'to defend, help' — borne by Byzantine emperors▶Enrico#4095 in the U.S.Italian form of Henry — Germanic haimric, 'home-ruler, ruler of the estate'▶Heinrich#4104 in the U.S.German form of Henry — Germanic haimric, 'home-ruler, ruler of the estate'▶Naod#4142 in the U.S.From Naod, an Ethiopian king of the Solomonic dynasty; a Ge'ez/Ethiopian royal name▶Talal#4162 in the U.S.From Arabic talal, 'a fine, gentle rain; pleasant, admirable; beautiful'▶Tiernan#4166 in the U.S.From Irish Tighearnán — from tighearna, 'lord' — 'little lord, kingly'▶Wladyslaw#4188 in the U.S.Wladyslaw is the Polish form of the Slavic name Vladislav, built from vladeti, 'to rule,' and s▶Manraj#4265 in the U.S.From Punjabi/Sanskrit man, 'heart, mind', plus raj, 'king, rule' — 'king of the heart/mind'▶Wilhelm#4300 in the U.S.German form of William — Germanic wil, 'will', plus helm, 'helmet, protection' — 'resolute prot▶Amiir#4311 in the U.S.Double-i spelling of Amir — Arabic amir, 'prince, commander, ruler'▶Artur#4317 in the U.S.European form of Arthur — possibly from Celtic artos, 'bear', or Roman Artorius; etymology deba▶Leul#4371 in the U.S.From Amharic leul, 'prince, noble, highness' (an Ethiopian title)▶Malique#4376 in the U.S.-que spelling of Malik — Arabic malik, 'king, sovereign, master' — al-Malik, a name of God▶Meilech#4382 in the U.S.Yiddish form of Melech — Hebrew melech, 'king'▶Rorik#4393 in the U.S.From Old Norse Hroerekr (Rurik/Roderick) — hrod, 'fame', plus rikr, 'ruler' — 'famous ruler'▶Shaul#4395 in the U.S.From Hebrew Sha'ul, 'asked for, prayed for' — the original form of Saul (Israel's first king)▶Alfonzo#4417 in the U.S.Z-spelling of Alfonso — from Germanic adal, 'noble', plus funs, 'ready, eager' (or hild, 'battl▶Leeroy#4492 in the U.S.Spelling of Leroy — from French le roi, 'the king'▶Llewelyn#4495 in the U.S.From Welsh Llywelyn — possibly 'leader, lion-like' or linked to 'bright'; the great medieval We▶Davit#4581 in the U.S.Georgian (and Armenian-toned) form of David — from Hebrew Dawid, 'beloved'▶Donnell#4586 in the U.S.From Irish Domhnall/Donal — 'world-ruler, mighty chief' (domun, 'world', plus val, 'rule')▶Henrry#4603 in the U.S.Double-r spelling of Henry — from Germanic heim, 'home', plus ric, 'ruler' — 'home-ruler'▶Emyr#4734 in the U.S.From Welsh emyr, 'king, lord, ruler' (also linked to Latin 'commander')▶Friedrich#4921 in the U.S.German form of Frederick — from Germanic frid, 'peace', plus ric, 'ruler' — 'peaceful ruler, ru▶Frederik#5102 in the U.S.Scandinavian/Danish form of Frederick — from Germanic frid, 'peace', plus ric, 'ruler' — 'peace▶Alphonso#5441 in the U.S.-ph- spelling of Alfonso — from Germanic adal, 'noble', plus funs, 'ready, eager (for battle)' ▶Ethelbert#5735 in the U.S.Ethelbert comes from the Old English name Aethelberht, joining aethel, 'noble,' to beorht, 'bri▶Geza#6198 in the U.S.Geza, written Geza with an accent in Hungarian, is an ancient Magyar name of debated meaning, s▶Mahlik#8044 in the U.S.Mahlik is a phonetic respelling of Malik, Arabic for 'king' or 'owner,' also one of the traditi▶Vache#8210 in the U.S.An Armenian name carried by ancient kings of the Aghvank/Caucasian Albania line; often read wit▶Dariush#9099 in the U.S.Dariush is the Persian form of the ancient royal name rendered in English as Darius, from Old P▶Gagik#9263 in the U.S.An Armenian name of ancient royal standing — Gagik I was a medieval king of Armenia. Its precis▶Nkosi#10548 in the U.S.From the Zulu and Xhosa Nkosi, 'king; lord; chief' - a word of honor and leadership, heard in t▶Regal#10639 in the U.S.A word name — 'regal,' meaning 'kingly; royal; majestic' (from Latin regalis, 'of a king'). Wor▶Aderemi#10803 in the U.S.From the Yoruba, 'the crown consoles me' (ade, 'crown,' + a root of consolation) — a royal, com▶Arsam#11020 in the U.S.Arsam is a modern Persian form of the Old Persian name Arsames (Arshama), borne by an Achaemeni▶Daryus#11178 in the U.S.Daryus is a spelling variant of Darius, the Greek form of the Old Persian Darayavaush, understo▶Jigme#11536 in the U.S.Jigme is a Tibetan and Bhutanese name meaning 'fearless; without fear.' It is borne by the king▶Kayvan#11635 in the U.S.A Persian name, Keyvan/Kayvan, the old Persian name for the planet Saturn, and by extension car▶Keawe#11640 in the U.S.A Hawaiian name borne by ruling chiefs of the island of Hawaii, tied in some readings to 'the s▶Mylik#11742 in the U.S.Mylik is a phonetic respelling of Malik, from the Arabic malik, meaning 'king'; the y-spelling ▶Adetayo#12262 in the U.S.From the Yoruba, 'the crown is worthy of joy' (ade, 'crown,' + a root of joy/worthiness) — a ro▶Cadel#12575 in the U.S.Cadel comes from the Welsh cad, 'battle,' combined with a diminutive ending, giving a sense clo▶Dekendrick#12607 in the U.S.Dekendrick reads as a late-twentieth-century African American coinage that joins the popular De▶Hakon#12792 in the U.S.An Old Norse name, Haakon, often read as 'high son' or 'chosen son' ('har', 'high' + 'konr', 's▶Matyas#13481 in the U.S.Matyas (Hungarian Mátyás) is the Hungarian form of Matthias, from Hebrew Mattityahu, 'gift of G▶Ohene#13643 in the U.S.From Akan (Ghana) ohene, 'king; chief' — the word for a traditional ruler. Used as a given name▶Olaf#13645 in the U.S.From Old Norse Áleifr/Óláfr, from anu ('ancestor') and leifr ('heir; descendant') — 'ancestor's▶Olukolade#13651 in the U.S.A Yoruba name built on Olu ('God; the Lord') and ade ('crown'), commonly glossed 'God brings ho▶Parthiv#13682 in the U.S.From Sanskrit parthiva, 'of the earth; earthly,' derived from prithvi ('earth') — and by extens▶Sargon#13841 in the U.S.From Akkadian Sharru-kin — sharru ('king') plus kinu ('true; legitimate; rightful') — 'the king▶Shahbaz#13867 in the U.S.From Persian shahbaz — shah ('king') plus baz ('falcon; hawk') — 'royal falcon', the great whit▶Umberto#13921 in the U.S.Umberto is the Italian form of Humbert, from Germanic 'hun' (often read as 'warrior' or the Hun▶Tudor#14008 in the U.S.The Welsh Tudur, anglicized as Tudor — a form connected to Theodore, 'gift of God' — and the na▶Vasily#14036 in the U.S.Vasily is the Russian form of Basil, which comes from the Greek Basileios, 'royal' or 'kingly,'▶Valdemar#14060 in the U.S.A Scandinavian form of the Slavic name Vladimir, from vlad, 'rule', and mer/miru, 'great; famou▶Waldemar#14101 in the U.S.The Germanic and Polish form of the Slavic Vladimir, from vlad, 'rule', and a second element re▶AreusAreus was the name of a king of Sparta in the ancient world; it also echoes Ares, the Greek god▶
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Frequently Asked
What are the best royal boy names?
Frederick, Malcolm, Cyrus and Stephen all come with genuine reigns behind them. Archie and Rory are the friendliest modern options.