Here is a list of noble families who can trace their ancestry back to Charlemagne (747-814), and by this also to Charles Martel (686-741), Pepin of Herstal (635-714), Pepin of Landen (580-640), Clovis I (466-511), Childeric I (437-481), Merowig (411-458), and some older, mythical ancestors like Pharamond (370-430), Sunno (358-401 ?), Priarios of Toxandria (324-396 ?) or Malaric I of Toxandria (295-360 ?).
Only families in the first 20 generations of descendants of Charlemagne are listed.
Note that there are no more descendants in direct male line. From the 5th generation after Charlemagne already, only 3 direct male branches subsisted : the Count of Vermandois, the King of Lorraine, and the King of France (Louis IV 'd'Outremer'). The Counts of Vermandois remained the longest, in direct male line until Herbert IV (1028-1080). The line of Louis IV d'Outremer continued through his son, Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine, whose daughters married into the houses of Louvain (also descended from Charlemagne via the Counts of Hainault), and Namur (ditto, via the Counts of Luxembourg). The longest running male lines thus naturally remained in the Southern Netherlands, the homeland of the Merovingian and Carolingian sovereigns (=>see History of the Franks).
N.B. :
- Families with the prefix "of" and the title in brackets indicate the rulers of a major, sovereign or semi-sovereign state.
- Given the numerous migrations and border changes in European history, the country classification follows the present-day borders.