It is a suffix coming from the Greek word meaning ruler. Thus an
autocrat is someone who rules on his own (auto=self), and a
plutocrat is someone who rules by being rich (pluton=wealth). But
although an autocrat rules in an autocracy, and a plutocrat rules
in a plutocracy, a democrat (demos=crowd) supports or endorses the
idea of a democracy, and is not necessarily a ruler in it.