Only 4 of Ieyasu's 11 officially recognized male heirs were allowed to take the surname 'Tokugawa': Hidetada (his 3rd son and successor), Yoshinao TOKUGAWA (his 9th son, and the forefather of one of the three main families), Yorinobu TOKUGAWA (his 10th son), and Yorifusa TOKUGAWA (his 11th son).
公認される限り十一人いた家康の男子で徳川姓を許されたのは、三男で世子の秀忠、及び御三家の祖となる九男徳川義直・十男徳川頼宣・十一男徳川頼房の4名にすぎない。