Names That Mean King, Queen, Ruler or Royal

Works better as a full name than Arnie does as a nickname.

Also related to the word for wolf, this name has a first syllable that's not appealing to the American ear. Better ic-ending choices: Dominic, Frederic, Eric.

Formerly in style limbo, Edric has recently started to see more use by parents. It could be because it sounds medieval yet accessible - which George R. R. Martin took advantage of for several characters - or because it's an offbeat alternative to the more popular Ed-names.

This form of Theodoric, familiar via Marlene, is a possible German import. It is an Anglicized ancestor of Derek and all its variations. A noted bearer was acclaimed classical German baritone and conductor Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and there have been Dietrichs in Henry James's The Princess Casamassima,/em and more recently on the TV show Psych.

Landry is one rising surname name, often after legendary Dallas Cowboys football coach Tom Landry, that is given to boys and girls. But the y ending does give it a feminine sound (as opposed to the more boyish and more popular Landon). Land is a Landry nickname that might work for boys or girls.

Appealing, upbeat name used mainly in Spanish-speaking countries.

Baseball player Ryne Sandberg's nickname is RYNO. Need we say more?

A wonderful Yiddish diminutive of Sarah, most familiar to Americans as the name of Tevye’s eldest daughter in Joseph Stein’s Fiddler on the Roof.

Yet another noble name to join King, Prince, Princess, et al.

Historically, Sire was a formal term for addressing male royalty, particularly a king. Sire can also mean "father" as both a noun and a verb.

Saina is related to many other international princess-related names, such as the Arabic Sana and the Hebrew Sarah. It was introduced to the wider world by the Indian Olympic badminton player Saina Nehwal.

The name of the King of Rohan in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, supposedly a translation of Rohirric Tûrac ("king"). Tolkien based the Rohirric language on Old English.

Although Kenton has the trendy K beginning and on ending, and a jazz reference to Stan Kenton, it still manages to sound stiff and old-fashioned.

Ece is another name for Umay, the Turkish goddess of the Earth and fertility. It is derived from the Old Turkic word eçe, meaning "mother."

Vasilia is a feminine form of Vasil, the Slavic and Russian form of Basil. In the US, very rare.

This once-cool nickname-y name now belongs to the grandma generation.

Malika is an attractive multi-cultural name--it is also a pet form of Amalia in Hungary.

This surname of an ancient Roman invader of Africa is an intriguing, undiscovered option.

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.