List of noble houses

A noble house is an aristocratic family or kinship group, either currently or historically of national or international significance, and usually associated with one or more hereditary titles, the most senior of which will be held by the "Head of the House" or patriarch. The concept is comparable with that of an aristocratic clan, and can be used informally to describe non-European ruling families.[1]

When a reigning monarch is a member of a noble house, such as the House of Windsor, that house can also be considered a royal house. Many noble houses (such as the Houses of York and Lancaster) have birthed dynasties and have historically been considered royal houses, but in a contemporary sense, these houses may lose this status when the dynasty ends and their familial relationship with the position of power is superseded. A royal house is a type of noble house, and they are not separate or mutually exclusive entities.