Royal
Royal can be a surname or a given name. Bearers include:
Meaning & Origin of Royal
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Royal can be a surname or a given name. Bearers include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Royal
As a girl name
Royal first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1928, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2016, when 476 Royals were born — ranking #628 that year. As of 2026, Royal ranks #1,303 for girls with 175 births, falling sharply (-36%). In total, more than 5K Royals have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Royal first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1880, with 26 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2021, when 884 Royals were born — ranking #370 that year. As of 2026, Royal ranks #417 for boys with 767 births, gradually rising (+14%). In total, more than 21K Royals have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Royal
Phonetically similar names — useful when Royal is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Royal
What does the name Royal mean?
How popular is Royal in 2026?
When was Royal most popular?
In which U.S. states is Royal most popular?
Is Royal a unisex name?
What names go well with Royal?
About the name Royal
Royal is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 21K births in the dataset. Royal's peak popularity came in 2021 when it ranked #274. Use the chart and map above to compare Royal's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2021 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "R" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.