In some—such as ancient Greece, Rome, and India—aristocratic status came from belonging to a military caste, although it has also been common, notably in African societies, for aristocrats to belong to priestly dynasties.
Dalam beberapa masyarakat—seperti Yunani, Roma, dan India Kuno—status aristokratik berasal dari keanggotaan kasta militer, meskipun juga kaum aristokrat umumnya berasal dari dinasti para imam, seperti hanya yang terjadi di negara-negara benua Afrika.