Boy · #533 in 2026

Roy

Roy is both a given name and a family surname with varied origins.

Current Rank
#533
Peak Rank
#18 (1947)
Total Babies
409K
5-Yr Trend
+6%
1885
First Year
2022
Last Year
1927
Peak Year
#898
Peak Rank
3K
Total Count
105
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Roy

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Roy is both a given name and a family surname with varied origins.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Origin & history
Written interchangeably in records as: Roi , Le Roi , De Roy , and Le Roy , the surname Roy originated from the Normans , the descendants of Norse Vikings who settled in Amigny , a commune in Manche , Normandy . It derived from the Old French roy , roi ( .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%} French pronunciation: [ ʁwa ] ), meaning "king", or "the king" which was a byname used before the Norman Conquest and a personal name in the Middl

The Story of Roy

Roy first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 440 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1947, when 7,560 Roys were born — ranking #48 that year. As of 2026, Roy ranks #533 for baby boys with 558 births, gradually rising (+6%). In total, more than 409K Roys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Roy

Phonetically similar names — useful when Roy is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Roy

What does the name Roy mean?
Roy is both a given name and a family surname with varied origins.
How popular is Roy in 2026?
In 2026, Roy ranks #533 among boys' names in the U.S., with 558 babies given the name that year.
When was Roy most popular?
Roy reached its peak popularity in 1947, ranking #18 that year with 7,560 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Roy most popular?
Roy has historically been most popular in Hawaii, Oklahoma, Tennessee. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Roy.
Is Roy a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Roy is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Roy?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Roy include Louis, Leo, Adam. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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About the name Roy

Roy is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 409K births in the dataset. Roy's peak popularity came in 1947 when it ranked #18. Use the chart and map above to compare Roy's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.