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

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?
  • AubreyBread’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

  • ArabellaLady 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
  • VictoriaQueen 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

Related post: Extravagant, Luxurious and Dignified Names

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 Victorian 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?

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