Find out how popular the last name Royalty is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Royalty.

Royalty, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Royalty surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Royalty in America

Royalty is the 19924th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Royalty surname appeared 1,347 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Royalty.

We can also compare 2010 data for Royalty to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Royalty

The surname Royalty is of English origin, derived from the Old English word 'rice', meaning wealthy or powerful. It first emerged in the 11th century as a descriptive surname, referring to individuals of high social status or those associated with the royal court.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Ricelei' and 'Richelai'. These entries likely refer to manors or estates owned by individuals bearing the name.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Royalty was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, where several families of note bore the name. One such notable figure was Sir John Royalty (c. 1320-1395), a knight and landowner from Gloucestershire who fought in the Hundred Years' War.

In the 16th century, the name Royalty was sometimes spelled as 'Royaltie', reflecting the changing orthography of the time. A notable bearer of this spelling was Sir Thomas Royaltie (1534-1618), a courtier and diplomat who served under Queen Elizabeth I.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Royalty surname continued to be associated with English gentry and landowners. One prominent example was Sir Edward Royalty (1642-1712), a Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London.

Another significant figure was William Royalty (1770-1843), a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the Napoleonic Wars. He rose to the rank of Rear Admiral and was knighted for his service.

In the 19th century, the surname Royalty was also found in Scotland, where it was sometimes rendered as 'Royaltie'. One notable Scottish bearer was James Royaltie (1812-1886), a renowned philosopher and educator who served as the principal of the University of Edinburgh.

Other notable individuals with the surname Royalty include the English author and playwright, Mary Royalty (1874-1936), and the American architect, Frank Royalty (1888-1964), known for his Art Deco designs in New York City.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Royalty

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Royalty.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Royalty was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Royalty has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Royalty was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Royalty, please contact us.

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