Meghan Markle or Meghan Sussex? Unpacking Her Name Change and How Royal Last Names Actually Work

Meghan Markle’s recent revelations about her “Sussex” family name has sparked curiosity, but it also raises questions about how royal surnames work — and why they’re not as straightforward as you might think.

Meghan, 43, was born Rachel Meghan Markle, though it’s unclear when or why she began using her middle name. She was known as Meghan throughout her school years and acting career, including on Suits. After marrying Prince Harry in 2018, the couple was granted the royal titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex by Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

Despite stepping back from their royal roles in 2020, they’ve retained their titles, which are reflected on the royal family’s website, in the credits of Meghan’s new Netflix series With Love, Meghan and across the branding of her lifestyle venture, As ever.

Speaking to PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story, Meghan described “Sussex” as the “shared name” she has with Prince Harry and their children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.

“It’s our shared name as a family, and I guess I hadn’t recognized how meaningful that would be to me until we had children,” the Duchess of Sussex tells PEOPLE. “I love that that is something that Archie, Lili, H and I all have together. It means a lot to me.”

Does that mean Meghan will be known as Meghan Sussex going forward?

When the Duchess of Sussex joined Drew Barrymore to discuss her new projects in an episode of The Drew Barrymore Show that aired on March 6, the host addressed her guest as “Meghan Sussex.”

“This is the Fast Five with Meghan Sussex,” Barrymore said to introduce the segment.

While Meghan has continued to be formally known as the Duchess of Sussex, this is the first time she has been publicly addressed as “Meghan Sussex.” Given that both of her children use Sussex as their last name, it’s understandable why she would choose to adopt it as well — embracing a more modern, personal identity rather than being constantly referred to by her title.

However, given the media’s ongoing treatment of her last name, as seen in her styling in PEOPLE, Meghan will likely continue to be referred to as Meghan Markle. This is because “Meghan Markle” remains the most widely used SEO (Search Engine Optimization) term associated with her. SEO, which enhances the visibility of web content on search engines like Google, is a key factor. The same applies to Kate Middleton — both names have built such strong digital footprints from when they first entered the royal spotlight, ensuring that they continue to be recognized by these names.

When did Archie and Lilibet adopt Sussex as their last name?

Just as Prince Harry used his father’s title as a last name growing up in school, Archie and Lilibet now do the same.

The siblings were originally named “Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor” and “Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor” on their birth certificates, using the royal family’s official surname. As explained on the royal family’s official website: In 1917, George V adopted Windsor as the royal surname. In 1960, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip added Mountbatten-Windsor for their descendants. While royal children usually don’t need a surname, they use Mountbatten-Windsor when required.

However, when King Charles ascended to the throne in September 2022, Archie and Lilibet were afforded the titles of prince and princess. Soon after, the children’s names were updated on the royal family’s website to “Prince Archie of Sussex” and “Princess Lilibet of Sussex” in the official line of succession.

Archie and Lili’s first cousins Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, are officially listed with a similar styling of “Prince George of Wales,” “Princess Charlotte of Wales” and “Prince Louis of Wales” as a reflection of their father Prince William’s Prince of Wales current title.  

Prior to William’s accession to the Prince of Wales title, the children used “Cambridge” as their last name in school, as William’s previous title was Duke of Cambridge.

Using royal titles as family surnames is a longstanding tradition. Instead of using titles like Mountbatten-Windsor, royal children typically adopt their parents’ titles as their surname. For example, Prince Harry and Prince William were known as “Harry Wales” and “William Wales” during their school years and time in the military.

Similarly, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children also use “Wales” as their surname at school. Meanwhile, their elder cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, used “York” as their last name, a nod to their father Prince Andrew’s title as Duke of York.

The topic also came up in With Love, Meghan, where the Duchess of Sussex corrected her friend Mindy Kaling when she called her Meghan Markle.

As seen in the second episode of the lifestyle show, Meghan and Kaling prepared for a garden party and talked about foods they ate when they were kids. 

“People wouldn’t believe that Meghan Markle ate at Jack in the Box,” Kaling said after her friend made the revelation.

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“It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now,” Meghan said.

“You have kids and you go, ‘No, I share my name with my children,’ ” she emphasized. “I didn’t know how meaningful that would be to me, but it just means so much to go, this is our family name, our little family name.”

Kaling nodded and replied, “Now I know, and I love it.”

Speaking with PEOPLE, Meghan shares that the Sussex name “is part of our love story” that she will tell Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet about one day.

“I think as the kids get older, they’re so excited about, ‘Oh my gosh, Mama and Papa, how did you meet?’ I think that will come with time as they get older, but for right now a huge part of our love story is that we share the name Sussex,” Meghan tells PEOPLE.