Toy
An old surname that may come from a medieval personal name, and in some cases may reflect Scandinavian influence.
The #5,951 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 53,379 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Toy is probably from an old personal name rather than from the modern word "toy." Bardsley treats it as "the son of Toy," and Harrison suggests that forms like Toy and Toye may go back to a Scandinavian name ultimately related to Old English Theodgar, meaning something like "people-spear." The evidence is not completely certain, so the name may reflect more than one early source or spelling tradition.
History
Medieval records show Toy and Toye in England by the 13th and 14th centuries, including examples from Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Oxfordshire, and Yorkshire. The name appears to have been established as a hereditary surname by the later Middle Ages. Harrison especially associates it with eastern and northern England, which fits the idea of Scandinavian influence in those regions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early examples in the sources include Warin Toy, Wydo Toye, and Johannes Toye in 14th-century records.
From the historical record
“Otway, The Atheist (1684) ; T. Wright. TOY 1 (Scand.) a specif. East, and North. TOYE J name, I3th-I4th cent. Toy, Toye, seems to represent the O.N. Thia'Sgeir (mod. Norw. Tiogiei) = A.-Sax. Theodgar, i.e. National Spear [O.N. JjirfS = O.E. ^edd, nation, people + O.N. geir-r = O.E. gdr, a spear]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)