Many American Richmond assume incorrectly that the present Duke of Richmond is somehow distantly related through some early family connection. This misunderstanding centers on a confusion of place names and surnames.

The Richmonds who lived in Richmond Castle centuries ago were earls, but never dukes. In England, kings customarily named their younger brothers, their sons and other kin as dukes. This made them a titled head of a region of England, such as, the Duke of Kent or the Duke of Gloucester. The earliest Dukes of Richmond were kin to the Stuart line of kings.

The present Duke of Richmond, whose full title is the Duke of Richmond and Gordon stated "Charles, first Duke of Richmond in my family and eight generations my senior, was born in 1672 to the beautiful Louise de Kerouadelle as the result of her affair with that great, brave and merry monarch King Charles II. At just three years old the little boy was created Duke of Richmond by his father,the title having lasped a few years before on the death of James Stuart, great and trusted friend of tragic King Charles I."