Boy nameCurrently #541 in the USSteady
Roy
ROY//rɔɪ//
1 syllablePeak year: 19473 lettersStarts with R
Meaning & origin
King (French), or red (Gaelic)
Roy comes from the French 'roi', meaning king, though it can also derive from the Scottish Gaelic 'ruadh', meaning red, describing hair color. Short and sturdy, it was especially popular through the mid-20th century.
Roy's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Roy |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 440 |
| 1881 | 440 |
| 1882 | 521 |
| 1883 | 556 |
| 1884 | 680 |
| 1885 | 696 |
| 1886 | 772 |
| 1887 | 733 |
| 1888 | 865 |
| 1889 | 894 |
| 1890 | 952 |
| 1891 | 849 |
| 1892 | 1,053 |
| 1893 | 925 |
| 1894 | 1,029 |
| 1895 | 1,038 |
| 1896 | 1,027 |
| 1897 | 1,008 |
| 1898 | 1,059 |
| 1899 | 919 |
| 1900 | 1,221 |
| 1901 | 925 |
| 1902 | 1,012 |
| 1903 | 975 |
| 1904 | 1,135 |
| 1905 | 1,025 |
| 1906 | 1,033 |
| 1907 | 1,141 |
| 1908 | 1,104 |
| 1909 | 1,143 |
| 1910 | 1,276 |
| 1911 | 1,412 |
| 1912 | 2,609 |
| 1913 | 3,107 |
| 1914 | 3,873 |
| 1915 | 5,095 |
| 1916 | 5,364 |
| 1917 | 5,624 |
| 1918 | 6,255 |
| 1919 | 6,014 |
| 1920 | 6,401 |
| 1921 | 6,594 |
| 1922 | 6,519 |
| 1923 | 6,367 |
| 1924 | 6,603 |
| 1925 | 6,429 |
| 1926 | 6,277 |
| 1927 | 6,456 |
| 1928 | 6,278 |
| 1929 | 5,879 |
| 1930 | 5,973 |
| 1931 | 5,549 |
| 1932 | 5,274 |
| 1933 | 4,955 |
| 1934 | 5,145 |
| 1935 | 4,967 |
| 1936 | 4,848 |
| 1937 | 4,918 |
| 1938 | 5,065 |
| 1939 | 5,182 |
| 1940 | 5,601 |
| 1941 | 5,988 |
| 1942 | 6,356 |
| 1943 | 6,982 |
| 1944 | 6,570 |
| 1945 | 6,209 |
| 1946 | 6,961 |
| 1947 | 7,592 |
| 1948 | 7,094 |
| 1949 | 6,651 |
| 1950 | 6,486 |
| 1951 | 6,504 |
| 1952 | 6,556 |
| 1953 | 6,688 |
| 1954 | 6,547 |
| 1955 | 6,376 |
| 1956 | 6,155 |
| 1957 | 6,097 |
| 1958 | 5,555 |
| 1959 | 5,218 |
| 1960 | 5,284 |
| 1961 | 4,994 |
| 1962 | 4,506 |
| 1963 | 4,461 |
| 1964 | 4,181 |
| 1965 | 3,802 |
| 1966 | 3,546 |
| 1967 | 3,303 |
| 1968 | 3,207 |
| 1969 | 3,021 |
| 1970 | 3,056 |
| 1971 | 2,978 |
| 1972 | 2,492 |
| 1973 | 2,252 |
| 1974 | 2,205 |
| 1975 | 2,135 |
| 1976 | 1,885 |
| 1977 | 1,939 |
| 1978 | 1,812 |
| 1979 | 1,769 |
| 1980 | 1,802 |
| 1981 | 1,739 |
| 1982 | 1,628 |
| 1983 | 1,472 |
| 1984 | 1,401 |
| 1985 | 1,397 |
| 1986 | 1,293 |
| 1987 | 1,279 |
| 1988 | 1,175 |
| 1989 | 1,269 |
| 1990 | 1,227 |
| 1991 | 1,129 |
| 1992 | 992 |
| 1993 | 897 |
| 1994 | 862 |
| 1995 | 732 |
| 1996 | 719 |
| 1997 | 749 |
| 1998 | 655 |
| 1999 | 638 |
| 2000 | 638 |
| 2001 | 572 |
| 2002 | 566 |
| 2003 | 570 |
| 2004 | 543 |
| 2005 | 530 |
| 2006 | 599 |
| 2007 | 535 |
| 2008 | 552 |
| 2009 | 473 |
| 2010 | 457 |
| 2011 | 443 |
| 2012 | 466 |
| 2013 | 508 |
| 2014 | 525 |
| 2015 | 541 |
| 2016 | 539 |
| 2017 | 529 |
| 2018 | 520 |
| 2019 | 494 |
| 2020 | 486 |
| 2021 | 519 |
| 2022 | 513 |
| 2023 | 526 |
| 2024 | 552 |
Roy through the decades
- Roy peaked in 1947, when 7,592 babies were named Roy in the US.
- Roy currently ranks #541 in the US and is holding steady.
Nicknames
Roy
Variants & spellings
Ruadh
Famous people named Roy
- Roy Rogers — actor and singer