Common surname that could mean you have 'b*stard' royal blood in you

Given advances in both modern technology and genealogy, it's no surprise that people are becoming increasingly intrigued by their family's heritage, with many often hoping for some juicy history.

Above anything, a large proportion of these heritage and ancestry site users are likely hoping for a big-name relation - someone they can bring up during workplace 'fun fact' meetings, or as a party trick of sorts.

Thankfully, according to experts at Ancestry.com, it actually mightn't be too hard to find fame in your family - specifically with regards to tracking down a former member of the Royal Family, given how many illegitimate children ex-monarchs are believed to have welcomed.

Apparently, however, there's one particular surname that experts believe indicates a strong association with the institution of the past.

Henry VIII only recognised one of his illegitimate children (Getty Stock Image)

We are, of course, talking about Fitzroy - a name previously used to describe the child of a monarch, literally.

In Anglo-Norman, the 'fitz' aspect refers to a son. So, people with the surname 'Fitzgerald' would have come from a man named 'Gerald' somewhere down the line - such is also the case with 'Fitzpatrick'.

The 'roy' aspect of the name also refers specifically to the 'king'.

Some of the most famous Fitzroys in history include Henry Fitzroy, who served as the Duke of Richmond and Somerset between 1519 and 1536.

He was the only illegitimate son that King Henry VIII actually acknowledged, according to Ancestry.com.

Another example is Henry Charles Fitzroy - the third of five illegitimate children of King Charles II. His party-loving papa named him the First Duke of Grafton in 1675.

It's worth emphasising, however, that ties between this particular name and the Royal Family are a bit more complicated than others.

Fitzroy reportedly has a strong link to a line of royal bastards (Chris Jackson/Getty Images For Buckingham Palace)

This is because it's somewhat rare for royals to recognise offspring born out of wedlock, but in these cases, they did.

Such is also said to be the case with a handful of other surnames, specifically Somerset, Richmond, Beaufort, or Lennox, which are said to indicate a connection to a line of royal bastards (children of the reigning monarch born out of wedlock).

Fear not if you don't quite fall into any of these categories, however, as another ancestry site, Family History Daily, has compiled a list of 100 other surnames that could mean you've got blue blood in you - or at least, a sprinkle of aristocracy.

The list cited Charles H. Browning's 1891 book titled Americans of Royal Descent, which includes hundreds of documents related to the Royal Family's family tree.

Here's the full run-down - brace yourself, you could be called to the throne any minute now!

Other surnames that could have royal blood

1. Abel
2. Alden
3. Appleton
4. Ayer
5. Barber
6. Barclay
7. Beverly
8. Binney
9. Brooke
10. Brown
11. Campbell
12. Carroll
13. Chauncey
14. Coleman
15. Cooper
16. Davis
17. Dickinson
18. Darling
19. Douglas
20. Dunbar
21. Edwards
22. Ellery
23. Ellis
24. Emmett
25. Evans
26. Farley
27. Fleming
28. Forest
29. French
30. Gardiner
31. George
32. Gerard
33. Gerry
34. Gibson
35. Graham
36. Hamilton
37. Haynes
38. Herbert
39. Hill
40. Howard
41. Hume
42. Irving
43. Jackson
44. James
45. Jenkins
46. Johnson
47. Kane
48. Kennedy
49. Ker
50. Key
51. King
52. Langdon
53. Lawrence
54. Lee
55. Leonard
56. Livingston
57. Lloyd
58. McCall
59. McDonald
60. Malcalester
61. Montgomery
62. Morris
63. Morton
64. Nelson
65. Nicholson
66. Nixon
67. Norris
68. O’Carroll
69. Ogle
70. Opie
71. Parsons
72. Patterson
73. Peabody
74. Pomeroy
75. Porter
76. Pratt
77. Preston
78. Quay
79. Randolph
80. Read
81. Reeve
82. Robinson
83. Rogers
84. Sanford
85. Shaw
86. Smith
87. Sowden
88. Stanley
89. Taylor
90. Townsend
91. Turner
92. Tyler
93. Valentine
94. Varson
95. Walker
96. Watts
97. White
98. Whiting
99. Williams
100. . Young