Roy
A surname with two main roots: in some families it means “king,” while in others it comes from a Gaelic word for “red” or “red-haired.”
The #640 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,808 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Roy has at least two traditional etymologies. In French and Anglo-French use, it comes from Old French roi, from Latin rex/regis, meaning “king,” and could begin as a nickname or pageant-name. In Scottish and Irish Gaelic contexts, it is usually linked to ruadh, meaning “red” or “red-haired,” often used as a descriptive byname.
History
The name appears in medieval records in both English/French and Gaelic environments, which helps explain why the same spelling can have different origins. In Scotland and Ireland it was often used as a sobriquet for someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion, sometimes standing in for an older family name. In English and French settings it could also function as a status nickname or a semi-hereditary surname meaning “king.”
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower explicitly notes that the Gaelic Roy was often used as a nickname “down almost to our own times,” showing that a descriptive byname could survive very late as a surname.
From the historical record
“(used as a pers. name) + tiin, estate, etc.] ROY (A.-Fr.-Lat.) King (a nickname and pageant-name) [Fr. rot, O.Fr. rei, hat. rex, regis, a king] In to the ring of the Roy Robert, The first king of the gud Stewart. — Roy Robert, 1-2. (Celt.) Red, Red-Haired [Ir. and Gael. ruadh {dh mute), red]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)