Megat is a hereditary title given to male descendants of the ancient Royal House of Pagar Ruyung. Its Minangkabau pronouncation is 'Magek' - derived from the word 'Maha Gaek' which means 'Great One'.

The female members of the family are given the hereditary title Puteri. Its Minangkabau pronouncation is 'Puti' which obviously means Princess.

The Megats and the Puteris are royalty by birth. However, it is a common practice to name a child with the titles Megat or Puteri whenever the mother is of Royal Blood (Raja or Tengku)and the father is a commoner. This is due to the fact that in Minangkabau tradition, the status of one's child will depend on their parents. As for Royalties, marrying a commoner is strictly forbidden. Hence, the seniority of the respective parent's families will determine the child's royal status.

The idea of having a Megat or a Puteri from a Royal mother and a commoner father was likely based on the lineage of the famous pioneer Megat in the Malay World - Megat Terawis. Megat Terawis was the first Bendahara of Perak and was known by the title Orang Kaya Bendahara Paduka Raja. He was the son of the Daulat Yang Dipertuan Pagar Ruyung. His descendants were holders of the Bendaharaship of Perak. One of his descendants, Megat Menjanas (Orang Kaya Bendahara Paduka Seri Maharaja), married Raja Shah Alam Sayong - a daughter of Sultan Muzaffar Shah II of Perak.

Obviously his descendants used the titles Megat and Puteri. Coincidently, the mother was a daughter of a Perak ruler, people have generalised the rule that for individuals with a Royal mother and a commoner father, have the right to use the titles Megat and Puteri for their children.

It should be highlighted that the original usage of Megat and Puteri are strictly for the descendants of the Royal Pagar Ruyung lineage. The descendants of Megat Terawis the First Bendahara of Perak still (to this very day) use the titles Megat and Puteri for their names and their children's.

Some of the prominent members of the Megat Terawis family are:

Dato' Seri Dr Megat Khas Bin Megat Omar
Dato' Megat Yunus Bin Megat Mohd Isa
Dato' Megat Othman Bin Megat Mohd Ali
Dato' Megat Mahmud Bin Megat Ismail
Dato' Seri Megat Jaafar Bin Megat Yunus
Tan Sri Dato' Megat Zaharuddin Bin Megat Mohd Nor
Tan Sri Megat Junid Bin Megat Ayub
Datuk Dr Megat Burhainuddin Bin Megat Abdul Rahman
Dato' Seri Megat Najmuddin Bin Megat Khas
Dato' Megat Mohamed Abdul Wahab Bin Megat Abu Bakar
Megat Zaharuddin Bin Megat Shamsudin
Megat Abdullah Rafaie Bin Megat Marzuki
Megat Mohamad Mentaha Bin Megat Alias