Royal, Posh and Rich Names (189 Classy and Pretentious Ideas for Boys and Girls)

How do the well-to-do choose names for their children? You’ll find they often select perfectly common names with normal spellings. But if you’re looking for names with a stronger vibe, there are still plenty to choose from!

Let’s start with stereotypical distinguished and elite names. You’ll find them among British royalty, at country clubs, and with the up-and-coming rich.

Rich Boy Names

Alastair – did you know this is a form of Alexander?
Ambrose – means immortal
Archibald – means pure and bold
Arlo – common in England and Wales
August – such as August Philip Brooksbank, son of Princess Eugenie
Barron – like Barron Hilton, of the famous hotel chain, founder of the American football league
Belvoir – pronounced bee- vair!
Benedict – means blessed
Blaine – derived from the name of a Scottish saint
Brody – originally a Scottish surname
Casper – one of the wise men who visited newborn Jesus
Chandler – would not actually be used by the upper class since it’s historically the last name of candlemakers
Chauncey – sounds pretentious
Conrad – the name of several medieval German kings
Declan – strong and masculine
Edmund – how awesome is the name King Edmund II lronside?
Eugene – Greek for well born
Fabian – classy, handsome and elegant
Frederick – fitting since it means faithful ruler
Graham – can be said with one syllable or two
Giles – pronounced with a “j”sound
Grant – sometimes given in honor if Ulysses S Grant
Hadley – means heather field
Hector – from the mythical Trojan
Hollis – noble and distinguished
Hugo – simple yet sophisticated
Humphrey – think Humphrey, 2nd Earl of Buckingham and Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
Kimball – did you know Elon Musk has a brother named Kimbal?
Miles – may mean gracious
Montgomery – from Norman French
Otto – as in the famous Holy Roman Emperors
Piers – the fancy version of Pierce!
Rafe – upper class version of Ralph
Rex – means king
Rupert – a few famous ones include Rupert of Cambridge, Viscount Trematon, the great-grandson of Queen Victoria and Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Saint John – pronounced Sinjin
Sebastian – posh nicknames include Sebs and Bastion
Tarquin – from the legendary kings of Rome
Thaddeus – make it cute with nicknames like Tad and Teddy
Tolliver – also spelled Taliaferro

Men Names That Are Now Considered Feminine

Did you know that these names used to be mainly for boys? The elite may consider them for their children.

Addison – can be in honor of a father named Adam
Alison – the male version is typically spelled with one L, but can be spelled with two
Ashley – did you know that it’s actually more popular as a male name in the UK?
Aubrey – Bread’s 1972 song inspired many to use this name for girls
Avery – the sitcom Murphy Brown popularized this name for boys and introduced it to girls
Beverly – comes from the name of a town in England
Blair – typically male in Scotland but became popular for girls in the US from The Facts of Life and Gossip Girl
Carol – originated as a short form of the name Carolus
Courtney – from the French place Courtenay
Emery – also comes from French
Evelyn – was historically male but is primarily feminine now because it is similar to names like Eve
Hilary – was a male name in the Middle Ages
Lacy – became more popular for girls in the 1970s
Lauren – originally a short form of Laurence
Leslie – means garden of holly
Lindsey – an English and Scottish name
Lynn – was primarily a boy name until the 1900s
Madison – after the mermaid in the 1984 movie Splash used this name, it soared in popularity for girls
Meredith – possibly Welsh for greatness, magnificence
Shannon – after the longest river in Scotland
Whitney – from an Old English name

Posh Girl Names

Arabella – Lady Arabella Stuart was a potential successor to Queen Elizabeth I of England
Araminta – very uncommon
Bianca – means white
Camilla – wife of King Charles III
Cecilia – sounds very royal!
Cordelia – means heart of the lion
Cressida – made popular by Shakespeare
Davina – as in Lady Davina Elizabeth Alice Benedikte Windsor
Elizabeth – of course, many among the British monarchy bear this name
Eugenia – Eugene is also an option
Fenella – pronounced kind of like vanilla
Henrietta – elaborate and sophisticated
Hudson – also a last name that’s turned into a first name
Leonora – a form of Eleanor
Lucinda – gorgeous and elegant
Millicent – form of Melisande, and means brave and strong
Octavia – a fierce yet pretty idea
Ophelia – gained popularity after Shakespeare used it in Hamlet
Ottilie – possibly as homage to Saint Odilia
Philippa – as in Philippa of Hainault and Countess Philippa of Ulster
Simone – female form of Simon
Tabitha – means gazelle
Thomasina – feminine form of Thomas
Trudy – did you know it’s short for Gertrude? That might be more in line with what you consider as a rich name
Victoria – Queen Victoria, one of the most famous British queens

Related post: Names that mean Sweet

Last Names for First Names

This is especially true for girls, who may inherit their mother’s maiden name as a first name or middle name! It’s a way of acknowledging lineage after marriage.

For example, business magnate Barron Hilton married Marilyn Hawley. Their first daughter was named Hawley for her mother. Yes, Barron is Paris Hilton‘s grandfather.

Others name their daughter Mary, with the mother’s maiden name as the middle name, and the daughter goes by the double name, such as Mary Taylor, Mary Weston, or Mary Charles!

Abingdon
Anderson
Averett
Barksdale
Bradford
Brewer
Brooks
Burke
Burlington
Chadwick
Chapman
Collingsworth
Covington
Darcy
Donahue
English
Fanshaw – also spelled Featherstonhaugh for an extra dash of pretentiousness
Fields
Fletcher
Gardiner
Hampton
Lathrop
Lyndon
Prescott
Rafferty
Remington
Rhodes
Rush
Spaulding
Springer
Sterling
Stockton
Sutton
Turner
Welles
Wellington
Weston
Whitcombe
Winston
Winthrop
Worthington

Number names and nicknames

If the son in question is a second, third or fourth, he may go by a nickname. It might be his initials, or middle name. But the Roman numeral at the end of the name gives more options, like these:

John Worthington II might go by Chip or Skip. You know, as in “chip off the old block.

And Chandler Lathrop III could be nicknamed Tripp, Trace, Tres, Tre, or Trey. After all, it would be confusing if Dad, Grandpa, and Son all went by the same name.

Piers Bradford IV doesn’t have too many choices. Again, Chip is always an option, or Ivy – as in IV.

Finally, as for Archibald Montgomery V, he may go by Nickel, Quint, or Quinn as a stand-in for “fifth.”

Related post: Find classic name ideas in our collection of Vic t orian Names!

Names That Sound Like Nicknames

From boarding school nicknames to cutesy flowers and fruits, some have bucked the trend of stuffy sounding names.

Apricot – the first of our fruit names
Alfie – not Alfred, just Alfie!
Archie – as in Prince Archie of Sussex, sixth in line for the British throne
Blossom – cutesy flower names are in these days!
Buffy – could you imagine? I only think of …The Vampire Slayer
Bunny – and cute animal names make the list
Buster – I’d only ever heard this as a nickname
Corky – could be a nickname for Courtney
Daphne – another flower name
Essie – short for Estelle or Ester
Feefee – is this short for Ophelia? Or a name on its own?
Figgy – fruits again
India – as in the country
Lemon – another fruit
Mifty – no idea what it’s a nickname for!
Minty – short for Aramintha
Muffin – sounds like a great name for a pet
Nigella – just make Nigel into a female name!
Pandora – as in the woman from Greek myth who opened the box
Persephone – the Greek goddess of winter and the underworld
Pippa – short for Philippa
Posey – for the flower
Steph – short form of Stephen or Stephanie
Tallulah – unusual! Yet British royalty Emma Tallulah Behn and Tallulah Lascelles share it
Teetee – as a nickname for someone with the initials T T
Theo – as in Theodore
Tibby – short for Tabatha
Tiggy – nickname, possibly short for Antigone
Tilly – short form of Matilda
Tuppy – sounds modern but goes back to at least 1930!

Rich Names in Foreign Countries

What names are considered rich and famous in other languages?

German

In Germany, names like Friedrich, Julius and Justus are considered posh for boys.

Italy

In Italy, you’ll find Ercole, Achille, Vittorio, Cosimo, Alessandro, Manfredi, Ranieri and many names ending with Maria, like Gabriele Maria, among the wealthy.

New Zealand

The “new money” in NZ seem to like cutesy names for their kids. These include names like Daisy, Maisie, Rosie, Poppy, or Bear. Nickname names like Lockie (short for Lachlan), Archie and Alfie are also popular.

Real Life Examples

Let’s look at a few of the most powerful, famous, and wealthy families of the world.

You’ll note that many of the names are common ones you hear every day! There are a few unique ones in italics, which are often based on a mother’s maiden name.

The Astor Family

Perhaps most well-known for the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, John Jacob Astor was one of the wealthiest people in history. The family is also known as America’s first aristocrats

Male names: Charles, David, DeLancey, Francis, Gavin, Ivan, John, Lewis, Marshall, Matthew, Peter, Robert, Simon, Theodore, Waldorf, William, Winthrop, Woodbury

Female names: Carrie, Davina, Dorothea, Eliza, Emily, Eva, Flora, Helen, Jane, Louise, Margaret, Marina, Mary, Nancy, Natalya, Octavia, Pauline, Rachel, Susan, Sybil, Sylvia

The Du Pont Family

Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours started a gunpowder business in the 1700s. Now, his family has large stakes in the DuPont chemical company, General Motors, and others. Their family wealth was estimated to be $14.3 billion in 2016!

Male names: Alfred, Antonie, Benjamin, Charles, Coleman, Eugene, Felix, Francis, Franklin, George, Harry, Henry, Hugh, John, Lammot, Marion, Richard, Robert, Samuel, Thomas, Victor, William

Female names: Alexis, Alice, Amy, Eluthere, Ester, Ethel, Ireene, Jane, Louisa, Lydia, Ruth, Victorine, Zara

The Hilton Family

Patriarch Conrad Hilton bought his first hotel in 1919, and the rest is history. His descendants include the socialites Paris and Nicki Hilton. This family clocks in with a wealth of $14.2 billion.

Male names: Barron, Caspian, Conrad, Daniel, Darren, David, Dean, Eric, Justin, Michael, Milou, Nicholas, Phoenix, Richard, Ronald, Steven, Teddy, William

Female names: Allison, Beverly, Caitlyn, Francesca, Hawley, Isabelle, Jasmine, Lily-Grace, Linda, Nicholai, Paris, Sharon

Related post: Worst Celebrity Names

Rich Last Names

And for completeness, what last names sound wealthy? Here we go!

Aberfoyle
Beaufort
Berkeley
Blackmoor
Cattistock
Cavendish
Cheshire
Cotley
Croome
Crump
Cumberland
Dalrymple
Dartwick
Derwent
Grafton
Grosvenor
Kimblewick
Lauderdale
Malbis
Monmouth
Montagu
Pennington
Pentirch
Ratliff
Rawlinson
Reeves
Saffold
Tiverton
Tredegar

Ostentatious Names Sound Rich But Aren’t

By now, you may have noticed that most of the wealthy names in our list are actual names. They might be stuffy or old-fashioned, but aside from the nicknames section, that’s the style.

Folks trying to give their kids rich- sounding names might miss the mark and end up with one of these names instead:

Car names like Bentley, Porsche, Maserati, Lamborghini, and Mercedes
Luxury fashion brands like Prada, Vuitton, Dior, Hermes
High end watches, think Cartier or Rolex
Prince, King, Queen, Queenie, Czar-Czar or other royal titles
Names that remind us of wealth like Debonair or Uxury (yes, these are real first names! )
Names with non-traditional spellings like Npeter (the n is silent)

Those who come from generational wealth don’t name their kids wild names like Nick Cannon’s kids Zillion Heir, Rise Messiah, or Powerful Queen. But if you’re looking for crazy celebrity baby names, check out that post instead.

You might also enjoy: names that mean pearl

Even more names

Looking for even more rich, royal, posh, stuffy, upper class, gentlemanly and ladylike names?

Check out the site Brit Royals for tons of names and history
The characters in PG Wodehouse stories tend to sound upper class