Names That Mean King, Queen, Ruler or Royal

An imposing meaning, an appealing sound.

Traditionally a West African boys' name, Khari is used quite often for girls in the U.S. as well, thanks to its similarity to the more familiar Carrie. Khari is one of the African names that easily bridges cultures.

No, not a creative spelling of Tyla - Thailah literally means the Thai Queen.

Royalty represents the convergence of two important trends: word names and superlative names such as Legend and King. Blending status and power with a fashion, flair, and confidence, it this longer form leans more feminine while Royal is given to more boys.

This noble title — the female equivalent of a knight — makes an inventive choice for a daughter. More subtle than Queen or Princess, Dame is a fresh way to get in on the regal word name trend. We know of at least one female Babyberry named Dame, although it's never been given to more than five baby girls in a single year.

Gormlaith was the wife of the 11th century ruler of Ireland Brian Boru. The name is also used in Scotland. Despite its beautiful meaning, many will find the hard "gorm" sound too much to get past.

This uppity name has been a fast climber in recent years, but we still think it's a bit much. Even abroad, where the connection to the prestigious university will be weaker, any name beginning with "Prince" will sound pretentious.

The feminine form of Amir, a soft and regal baby name popular in the Muslim community.

Zolten is a variant spelling of Zoltan, which is currently in the Top 50 in Hungary, its country of origin. We recommend you stick with the original spelling, which remains extremely rare.

A common name in Indonesia that would not work well in English-speaking countries, being too close to putrid or putty.

Where's Walda? Out of the running.

Theodoric feels prehistoric, though with short form Theo one of the hottest names around, this old German names for boys may soon feel new again.

Salla is a variant of Salli — the Finnish form of Sally. Both Salla and Salli are common names in their native country, but Salla is the more modern form, having peaked in popularity in the 1980s and 90s (Salli peaked in the 20s and 30s). Today, Salla is given to almost twice as many baby girls in Finland than Salli.

A Latinized (and more wearable) form of the Anglo-Saxon Cwengifu, Queniva is a sparky sounding name that could get you to vintage nickname Queenie, or to the more familiar Evie, Neve, Eva, or even Quin. It's similarity in sound to Jennifer, Guinevere, and Geneva might help this oldy-worldy name fit in.

Iolani feels quintessentially Hawaiian, a stylish origin for baby names these days thanks to Malia, the Hawaiian name of the Obamas' older daughter. The initial I is pronounced with a long e sound, as in Waikiki, and the name Iolani has four syllables.

A possible addition to the international Lil family of names, but having four L's in its four syllables makes it a bit of a tongue twister.

Kende is derived from the Hungarian title kende, referring to the king of Magyar, the nation that predated Hungary.

Samuel Johnson invented the name Rasselas for the title character of his novel, Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia. Rasselas is actually the son of the prince.

Sounds like...a Teutonic axe-ruler.

The q-ending of this common name adds a quirky element.