Names that mean king or queen
Ruler names come from Latin rex and regina (Regina, Reyna), Germanic ric, "ruler, power" (Henry, Frederick), and Arabic amir, "commander, prince". Some, like Prince and Royalty, are simply the English words.
Girl names (33)
| Name | Meaning | Origin | Rank 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leilani | heavenly lei; royal child | Hawaiian | #60 |
| Emery | Germanic | #74 | |
| Aubrey | elf ruler | Germanic | #146 |
| Sarah | princess, noblewoman | Hebrew | #90 |
| Freya | lady (Old Norse goddess name) | Scandinavian | #176 |
| Amira | princess (Arabic) | Arabic | #132 |
| Hallie | pet form of Harriet | Germanic | #120 |
| Reign | reign (word name) | English | #452 |
| Kalani | the heavens; the chief (Hawaiian) | Hawaiian | #387 |
| Regina | queen | Latin | #395 |
| Hattie | pet form of Harriet | Germanic | #334 |
| Sarai | my princess (earlier name of Sarah) | Hebrew | #425 |
| Royalty | royal status (English word) | English | #782 |
| Meredith | great lord (Welsh) | Welsh | #469 |
| Nalani | the heavens (Hawaiian) | Hawaiian | #414 |
| Reyna | queen (Spanish) | Spanish | #594 |
| Reina | queen (Spanish) | Spanish | #582 |
| Landry | land + ruler | Germanic | #935 |
| Khaleesi | queen (invented Dothraki word) | American | #690 |
| Martha | the lady, mistress (Aramaic) | Aramaic | #713 |
| Freyja | lady (Old Norse goddess) | Scandinavian | #772 |
| Etta | short form of Henrietta | Germanic | #930 |
| Sarahi | variant of Sarai (Hebrew 'princess') | Hebrew | #917 |
| Joyce | lord (Breton, via Josse) | Celtic | #1,074 |
| Leylani | heavenly lei; royal child (via Leilani) | Hawaiian | #971 |
| Harriet | feminine of Harry (Henry) | Germanic | #1,073 |
| Erika | ever-ruler (feminine of Eric) | Scandinavian | #1,109 |
| Sally | pet form of Sarah | Hebrew | #1,158 |
| Donna | lady | Italian | #1,965 |
| Henrietta | feminine of Henry; "home ruler" | Germanic | #2,666 |
| Candace | title of the queens of ancient Kush | African | #3,173 |
| Candy | pet form of Candace | African | #4,576 |
| Dick | pet form of Richard | Germanic | — |
Boy names (40)
| Name | Meaning | Origin | Rank 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry | home + ruler (Germanic) | Germanic | #5 |
| Enzo | home ruler (via Heinz, Henry) | Germanic | #72 |
| Amir | commander, prince | Arabic | #105 |
| Rory | red king | Irish | #199 |
| Adonis | lord (Semitic adon, probably) | Greek | #241 |
| Griffin | prince (from Welsh Gruffudd) | Welsh | #222 |
| Richard | strong ruler | Germanic | #234 |
| Eric | eternal ruler (probably) | Scandinavian | #273 |
| King | king (word name) | English | #405 |
| Walter | ruler of the army | Germanic | #252 |
| Derek | ruler of the people (from Theodoric) | Germanic | #284 |
| Royal | royal; or from English place names | English | #476 |
| Ricardo | strong ruler (Spanish form of Richard) | Germanic | #380 |
| Prince | prince | English | #447 |
| Malik | king; owner, master | Arabic | #437 |
| Amiri | of the amir; princely | Persian | #604 |
| Frederick | peaceful ruler | Germanic | #435 |
| Rodrigo | famous ruler (Spanish form of Roderick) | Germanic | #492 |
| Enrique | home ruler (Spanish Henry) | Germanic | #571 |
| Ronald | ruler with counsel (Norse, via Scottish Gaelic) | Scandinavian | #638 |
| Emir | prince, commander (Arabic amīr) | Arabic | #551 |
| Donald | world ruler (Gaelic) | Scottish | #690 |
| Duke | leader (English title) | English | #695 |
| Rex | king (Latin) | Latin | #859 |
| Harry | home ruler (English form of Henry) | Germanic | #775 |
| Kaiser | emperor | Germanic | #836 |
| Ricky | pet form of Richard | Germanic | #949 |
| Leroy | the king (French) | French | #888 |
| Ishaan | lord, ruler | Sanskrit | #895 |
| Brendan | prince (Welsh word, via Irish) | Irish | #1,098 |
| Ameer | commander, prince | Arabic | #980 |
| Harold | army ruler | English | #993 |
| Gerald | spear rule | Germanic | #1,206 |
| Reginald | counsel + rule | Germanic | #1,284 |
| Arnold | eagle power | Germanic | #1,477 |
| Don | short form of Donald, 'world ruler' | Scottish | #1,795 |
| Roderick | "famous ruler" | Germanic | #1,752 |
| Donnie | pet form of Donald; "world ruler" | Scottish | #1,796 |
| Rick | short form of Richard; "strong ruler" | Germanic | #3,077 |
| Jerald | variant of Gerald; "spear rule" | Germanic | #4,081 |
How names get on this list
Our editors read each name's documented etymology and tag a theme only when the roots of the name carry that meaning. Popular explanations without support (folk etymologies) don't count, and names whose origin is uncertain are left out unless every explanation agrees. The list covers the roughly 2,000 most used names we have researched so far, ordered by the number of US babies in the last five years. How we research meanings.