Given name & surname
Royal
“of the king; a regal man”
Royal is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “of the king; a regal man.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “of the king; a regal man.” Its derivation is not certain.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is English, although the derivation remains uncertain.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Royal through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 24,394
- 20,072 boys · 4,322 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 1,217 babies
- 2025
- 765
- #476 for boys · #1,663 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- 0%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 69% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 640 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 476 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 21.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 125 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (66). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 10,220 as a first name in 2020; 15,194 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Royal’s family of names
Royal has a related form in Royale. Royal has a related form in Royall. Royal has a related form in Royle.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Royal
- Royal DanoAmerican actor (1922-1994)
- Royal RifeAmerican inventor (1888–1971)
- Royal Harwood FrostAmerican astronomer (1879-1950)
- Royal RobbinsAmerican rock climber (1935-2017)
- Royal IveyAmerican basketball player (born 1981)
- Royal S. CopelandAmerican politician (1868–1938)
- Royal C. JohnsonAmerican politician (1882-1939)
- Royal C. TaftAmerican politician (1823-1912)
- Royal E. IngersollUnited States admiral1883–1976
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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If you love Royal, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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