The Meaning and History of the Name Roy
The name Roy has many different roots it is Gaelic, French and English in origin.
The meaning of Roy is from the Gaelic word Ruadh, meaning Red and the French word Roi, meaning King. A lovely name full of history. The baby name Roy is definitely suitable for a little King!
Popularity of the Name
Roy was not in the Top 100 baby boy names in England as of the latest government stats collected back in 2016. The popularity of Roy might have decreased over the years but this name was quite popular in the late 1800s to early-mid 1900s, ranking 18th in the year 1889 and most recently being ranked 18th in the year 1894. The most children given the name was in the year of 1947, 7,563 babies were given this name. However the name Roy is still used in a lot of countries across the world today!
Famous people with this name
As you will see from the list below Roy is a common name for some popular musicians:
- Roy Hodgson, was the English football manager and former player
- Roy Orbison, American Singer Songwriter who wrote many famous songs including ‘Pretty Woman’
- Roy Clark, an American country singer
- Roy Hargrove, American jazz musician
- Roy Wilkins, civil rights activist
- Roy Blunt, is an American politician
Useful Resources
Discover the meaning and popularity of other English male names.
