Roy

Roy: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “king”
Origin: French
Say it: ROY · 1 syllable
Used for: Boys

From the Anglo-French and Middle English word roy, from Old French rei/roi, meaning 'king'. It also occurs as an anglicized form of Irish Ruadh in some cases.

French names English names Names meaning royalty Names meaning noble Classic names Short names

How popular is Roy?

2024166 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Roy in 2024552

2024 rank#541 boys

Peak year1890

Total US babies since 1880410,743

Roy is steady now but far below its 1890 peak.

Names like Roy

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Oliverolive tree · French
Beauhandsome · French
Calvinbald · French
Louisfamous warrior · French
Granttall; large · French
Saintholy person; saint · French
Russelllittle red-haired one · French
Travisto cross · French

Roy questions

What does the name Roy mean?

Roy means "king". It comes from French. From the Anglo-French and Middle English word roy, from Old French rei/roi, meaning 'king'. It also occurs as an anglicized form of Irish Ruadh in some cases.

Is Roy a boy or girl name?

Roy is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Roy?

552 US babies were named Roy in 2024. Its peak year was 1890.

How do you pronounce Roy?

Roy is usually pronounced ROY.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.