A Real One’s Guide to Tracing Royal Blood + More 🍋
Let’s get into this like we settin’ the record straight at the family reunion under the shade tree.
Listen baby, if you ever got that feelin’ deep in your bones like your people was more than just field hands or common folk—you might be onto somethin’. Royalty ain’t always about castles and crowns.
Sometimes it’s about bloodlines wrapped in tradition, wisdom, and power. So if you think your grandmama might’ve been a queen in more ways than one, here’s how you find out—and how to carry yourself like it even if you ain’t got no throne.
⸻
How to Find Out If You’re Related to Royalty (Black Folk Edition):
1. Start With Your People
Pull up on Big Mama or Uncle Junebug. Ask about the old folks—names, towns, tribes, who married who, who came over when. Every story is a breadcrumb back to your roots.
2. Build Your Family Tree
Start with what you know: your parents, grandparents, greats if you got ‘em. Then hit up sites like:
• FamilySearch.org (free and powerful)
• Ancestry.com (watch for free trials or library access)
• Geni.com (great for international links)
Keep goin’ back. Look for African, Caribbean, or European connections, especially from West Africa or the Moors in Spain and Portugal.
3. Look for Royal Markers
If you see names or titles like “Chief,” “Oba,” “Nana,” “Sir,” “Baron,” “Emir,” or “Alake,” that ain’t just decoration—that’s lineage talkin’.
4. Watch Them Last Names
Here’s a short list of names tied to Black royalty, nobility, or historic tribes:
Last Names Linked to Black Royalty or Nobility:
• Adeleke – Yoruba royal family in Nigeria
• Zulu – South African dynasty
• Mensah – Akan/Ghanaian nobility
• Diop – Senegalese elite
• Ali – Found in African-Arabic royalty
• Abiola – Yoruba legacy name
• Sundiata – From the Mali Empire
• Idowu / Adebayo / Adedoyin – Nigerian noble houses
• Makonnen – Ethiopian imperial lineage (as in Haile Selassie)
• Ba / Faye / N’Doye – Wolof royalty in Senegal
• Babatunde / Adeyemi – Names tied to kingship among the Yoruba
• Askia – From the Songhai Empire
• Toumani / Keita – Malian ruling clans
If these names show up in your tree, even on your mama’s side? Baby, go deeper.
⸻
Black Royal Families & Dynasties You Should Know:
You ain’t gotta be British to be born noble.
Check these out:
• The House of Zulu (South Africa)
• The Ashanti Royal Family (Ghana)
• The Oba of Benin (Nigeria)
• The Yoruba Kingdoms (Nigeria, Togo, Benin)
• The Ethiopian Solomonic Dynasty (descendants of Queen Makeda & King Solomon)
• The Mali Empire – Yes, from King Mansa Musa, the richest man to ever live
• The Kingdom of Kongo (Angola/Congo)
• The Wolof and Serer Kingdoms (Senegal)
• The Almoravids & Moors (North & West Africa – ruled parts of Spain too!)
⸻
Can’t Find a Royal Connection?
Baby, You Still Royal.
‘Cause here’s the thing—being royal ain’t always in the blood, sometimes it’s in the behavior. Here’s how to walk like royalty, whether you got a title or not:
How to Appear Royal, Even Without a Throne:
• Speak with grace but command the room – Say less, but mean more.
• Dress like you were born into elegance – Don’t mean designer, it means intentional. Silks, golds, earth tones, headwraps, clean lines.
• Know your worth and don’t shrink for nobody – Royalty don’t beg to be seen.
• Move with purpose – Every step you take is guided. Every decision reflects legacy.
• Protect your energy like it’s sacred – ‘Cause it is.
• Lead with service, not ego – Real queens and kings take care of their people.
So… are you royalty?
Maybe. Maybe not by birth, but you sure can be by standard. And if you do find out you got royal blood? Baby, walk like your ancestors are watchin’—’cause they are.
Tag a cousin who need to start their tree. Or a friend who already act like they royal.
#blackgirllemon8 #blackwitches #ancestors #historical #spirituality
Okay, so like many of you, I've always had this lingering question in my mind, a whisper from my spirit: "Am I Royal?" It's more than just a fantasy; it's a deep-seated curiosity about where my roots truly lie. The article gives us an amazing starting point, but let me share some of my own experiences and deeper dives into trying to trace my royal blood and truly 'walking like you got it anyway.' Getting More from Your Elders: Beyond Names The article rightly says to start with Big Mama or Uncle Junebug. But here’s a tip from my own experience: don't just ask for names and dates. Ask for stories. I learned that asking about family traditions, peculiar sayings, or even old recipes can sometimes unlock clues you never expected. For instance, I asked my great-aunt why we always had a certain type of fabric for special occasions, and she told me it was a tradition passed down from her grandmother, who believed it symbolized prosperity. This little detail led me down a rabbit hole of West African textile history and helped me connect to a broader cultural heritage, even if not a direct royal title. Also, remember to record everything! I use a simple voice recorder on my phone (with permission, of course!) and then transcribe it later. You'd be surprised how many details you miss when you're just writing. And be patient; sometimes, elders need time to remember, and they might share more over several conversations. Diving Deeper into Online Genealogy Resources While sites like FamilySearch and Ancestry are phenomenal, navigating them for Black ancestry can be challenging due to historical records often being incomplete or mislabeled. When I was trying to trace my royal blood, I focused on looking for patterns. If you hit a brick wall in the US or Caribbean, try to identify migration paths. Were your ancestors from a specific island, or did they move from the Deep South to the North? This can sometimes point you towards less common records like plantation manifests, Freedman’s Bureau records, or even church records from historically Black congregations. Another strategy I used was to research the historical context of the regions my ancestors were from. Understanding the major ethnic groups, kingdoms, and trade routes of West, Central, or Southern Africa can help you piece together the puzzle. For example, if you find a surname that's common in a region historically ruled by the Ashanti or Yoruba, it's a strong indicator to dig deeper into those specific royal lineages, even if a direct link to a king isn't immediately obvious. Embodying Your Royalty: Practical Steps for Daily Life The article touched on "walking like you got it anyway," and that resonated deeply with me. For me, "walking like you got it anyway" means a few things beyond just speaking gracefully or dressing intentionally. It’s about cultivating radical self-care. Royalty understood the importance of rest, nourishment, and protecting their inner peace. For me, that looks like setting boundaries, prioritizing mental health, and engaging in rituals that honor my body and spirit, much like a queen would maintain her well-being to lead her people. It also means owning your narrative. We often let external voices define us. But a true queen or king dictates their own story. My journey of tracing royal blood taught me that "walking like you got it anyway" means actively researching, learning, and celebrating my heritage, even the parts that aren't about crowns and castles. It's about understanding the strength, resilience, and wisdom embedded in my ancestral line, and letting that knowledge fuel my confidence and purpose. So, whether you find a direct royal lineage or not, remember that the power to be a queen or king lies within how you carry yourself, how you honor your past, and how you shape your future.