History of Aristocracy from Wikipedia: "The term "aristocracy" was first given in Athens to young citizens who led armies from the front line with their swords up. Since military bravery was such a highly regarded virtue in ancient Greece, the armies were being led by "the best". From the ancient Greeks, the term passed on to the European Middle Ages for a similar hereditary class of military leaders often referred to as the "nobility". In India, these men are usually of the martial or Kshatriya caste such as the Gujjars and Rajputs and their sub-divisions. In the Islamic world, the aristocratic caste of Sayyid belongs exclusively to the descendants of Prophet Muhammad and extends to all classes of society." Examples of Aristocrats: Wealthy, powerful & noble people. Roosevelt’s (USA) Kennedy family (USA) Wealthy Landowners Aristocrat can also refer to an elegant person with a gracious lifestyle and strong sense of duty. I guess in this day & age, people don't like to use the term aristocrats. One could consider people like Bill Gates & Warren Buffett to be aristocrats since they are No. 1 & No. 2 richest men in the world plus also No 1. philanthropists. To see some pics of Tibetan aristocrats goto - http://www.skidmore.edu/academics/asianstudies/TibetanPhotos/Aristocrats.html