100 Rich Sounding Last Names

There is obviously something powerful about a last name that sounds wealthy.

You may think of old money, multi-generational estates, or high society parties.

Some last names just seem to be synonymous with elegance, prestige and wealth.

Windsor, Montgomery, and Van Alen come to mind- names that have somehow been associated with trust funds, tailored suits and impeccable manners.

So what makes a last name sound wealthy?

Is it the European delicateness, hard-to-pronounce syllables, or legacy?

In this post, we’ll be exploring rich-sounding surnames, their origins, why they are meaningful, and how they continue to represent more than lineage.

Maybe you are naming a fictional character or are just curious about the psychology of prestige, but regardless, we think the list might help shift your perception of what’s in a name.

rich sounding last names

1. Montgomery – Norman origin; means “manpower hill.”

2. Windsor – English; tied to British royalty.

3. Astor – German; linked to the wealthy American Astor family.

4. Vanderbilt – Dutch; means “from De Bilt,” an elite American family.

5. Rockefeller – German; means “rocky field,” iconic industrial dynasty.

6. Carnegie – Scottish; tied to the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie.

7. Rothschild – German-Jewish; means “red shield,” powerful banking family.

8. Cavendish – English; aristocratic lineage, Duke of Devonshire family.

9. Devereux – Norman French; means “from Evreux,” noble connotation.

10. Beaufort – French; means “beautiful fortress,” linked to English nobility.

11. Fairfax – English; means “fair hair,” used by landed gentry.

12. Pembroke – Welsh origin; noble title and county.

13. Ashbourne – English; means “ash tree brook,” refined sound.

14. Wexford – Irish; from County Wexford, suggests heritage.

15. Sinclair – Scottish; from “Saint Clair,” Norman noble roots.

16. Marchand – French; means “merchant,” upscale European flair.

17. Harrington – English; “town of hares,” traditional upper-class name.

18. Worthington – English; “enclosure of a worthy man.”

19. Blackwood – English/Scottish; “dark forest,” mysterious and elite.

20. Kingsley – English; means “king’s field.”

21. Cavalli – Italian; means “horses,” evokes luxury fashion.

22. Moreau – French; means “dark-skinned,” romantic and elite.

23. Delacroix – French; means “of the cross,” aristocratic tone.

24. Ellington – English; “Ellis’s town,” elegant and refined.

25. Prescott – English; means “priest’s cottage,” traditional gentry name.

26. Pembroke – Welsh; noble family name and earldom.

27. Whitmore – English; means “white moor,” pastoral elegance.

28. Fitzwilliam – Norman; “son of William,” used in upper-class lineage.

29. Langford – English; “long river crossing,” formal-sounding.

30. Remington – English; “settlement by the raven,” also linked to fine goods.

31. Strathmore – Scottish; “broad valley,” linked to royalty.

32. Halberg – Scandinavian; “rocky mountain,” evokes Scandinavian nobility.

33. Whitaker – English; “white field,” genteel connotation.

34. Beaumont – French; “beautiful hill,” elegant and upper-crust.

35. Marchmont – French-English; “hill of the march,” regal flair.

36. Ashford – English; “ford by the ash trees,” subtle class.

37. Alcott – English; “old cottage,” literary and refined.

38. Ellsworth – English; “noble estate,” patrician tone.

39. Carrington – English; “settlement of the marsh dwellers,” upper-class ties.

40. Stanhope – English; “stony valley,” associated with British peers.

41. Chamberlain – English; medieval noble office, authoritative tone.

42. Winthrop – English; “friend’s village,” colonial upper class.

43. Redgrave – English; “red grove,” posh and theatrical.

44. Hawthorne – English; “thorn bush,” literary and aristocratic.

45. Leclair – French; means “the bright one,” polished tone.

46. Fontaine – French; “fountain,” stylish and refined.

47. Courtenay – French; noble family, “court dweller.”

48. DuPont – French; “of the bridge,” industrial and wealthy association.

49. Abernathy – Scottish; “mouth of the Nethy river,” sophisticated.

50. Lockwood – English; “enclosed wood,” charming and upper-class.

51. Radcliffe – English; “red cliff,” old money and literary.

52. Bancroft – English; “bean field,” stately connotation.

53. Loxley – English; “glade by the lake,” classic and mysterious.

54. Farnsworth – English; “fern estate,” stately ring.

55. Highmore – English; “tall moor,” rare and aristocratic.

56. Worth – English; means “enclosed settlement,” implies value.

57. D’Argent – French; “of silver,” luxurious connotation.

58. Fairchild – English; “beautiful child,” poetic and genteel.

59. Tremblay – French-Canadian; “aspen tree,” sounds refined.

60. Davenport – English; “market town,” used by upper-class families.

61. Harriman – English; means “army man,” suggests legacy.

62. Godwin – Anglo-Saxon; “friend of God,” noble historical ties.

63. Blackstone – English; “dark stone,” associated with law and prestige.

64. Goldwyn – English; “gold friend,” film dynasty name.

65. Allerton – English; “alder tree settlement,” traditional upper-class.

66. Chadwick – English; “Chad’s farm,” vintage upper-class.

67. Sotheby – English; auction house, synonymous with high-end.

68. Delaney – Irish; “descendant of Dubhshláine,” melodic and stylish.

69. Ashcroft – English; “ash tree farm,” serene and noble.

70. Vaughn – Welsh; “little,” but sounds stately.

71. Habsburg – German-Austrian; royal European family name.

72. Laurent – French; “from Laurentum,” elegant and refined.

73. St. John (pronounced “Sinjin”) – English; noble heritage.

74. Valemont – Invented; sounds like “valley mountain,” sleek and posh.

75. Pembly – Invented; posh-sounding variation of Pembroke.

76. Westcott – English; “west cottage,” elegant surname.

77. Whitely – English; “white meadow,” refined and graceful.

78. Dalton – English; “valley town,” dignified ring.

79. Audley – English; aristocratic surname and peerage title.

80. St. Clair – English/French; “holy light,” old nobility.

81. Bellamy – French; “good friend,” soft and sophisticated.

82. Merivale – English; “pleasant valley,” rare and genteel.

83. Cavelle – French; “little bald one,” but sounds elegant.

84. Desmarais – French; “of the marshes,” Canadian billionaire lineage.

85. Grafton – English; “grove settlement,” upper-class ring.

86. Halston – English; modern elite via fashion ties.

87. Kensington – English; upscale London district, luxurious name.

88. Rosenthal – German; “valley of roses,” poetic and elegant.

89. Blakemore – English; “dark moor,” polished and rich-sounding.

90. Fairbanks – English; “beautiful hillside,” silver screen legacy.

91. Carradine – English; elegant surname, known in acting dynasties.

92. Stirling – Scottish; ties to nobility and wealth.

93. Thornton – English; “thorn bush settlement,” formal and historic.

94. Pemberley – Fictional (from Pride and Prejudice), but iconic.

95. Ellingworth – English; invented, sounds noble.

96. Harcourt – French-English; noble Norman family.

97. Winchell – English; soft, polished, elite-sounding.

98. Lamontagne – French; “the mountain,” dramatic and refined.

99. Bellingham – English; “home of Billa’s people,” noble British surname.

100. Sterling – English; associated with silver, wealth, and class.