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Roy

Heart
French or Celtic
"king or red-haired"

Roy Origin and Meaning

The name Roy is a boy's name of French, Celtic origin meaning "king or red-haired".

We've seen Ray regain his cool, but could this country/cowboy name epitomized by Roy Rogers (born Leonard Slye), Acuff, and Clark, do the same?

Roy came into use in the late nineteenth century, probably influenced by the main character of Sir Walter Scott's novel Rob Roy, in which the historical character Robert M'ac Gregor is nicknamed Roy for his red hair.

There have been lots of notable non-country namesakes, including baseball's Roy Campanella, humorist Roy Blunt, Jr., Walt's brother and partner Roy Disney, singer Roy Orbison and pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. Roy Hobbs was the protagonist of the Malamud novel The Natural, played in the film by Robert Redford.

Roy was also the first name of clothing designer Halston.

# 577 in the US

Roy Rank in US Top 1000

# 674 on Nameberry

Roy Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Roy Popularity

20 Names Similar to Roy

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Roy.

Famous People Named Roy

  • Roy ChoiKorean American chef
  • Roy Kelton OrbisonAmerican rock 'n' roll singer
  • Roy David McMillanAmerican baseball player
  • Roy Fox LichtensteinAmerican pop artist
  • Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay IIIAmerican baseball player
  • Roy Claxton AcuffAmerican country music singer
  • Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye)American Western actor/singer
  • Roy Horn (born Uwe Ludwig Horn)German,American magician of Siegfried & Roy
  • Roy Alton Blount Jr.American humor writer
  • Roy Jay GlauberAmerican theoretical physicist and Nobel prize winner
  • Roy CampanellaAmerican baseball player
  • Roy Richard ScheiderAmerican actor
  • Roy Oliver DisneyAmerican co,founder of Walt Disney Co.; brother of Walt Disney
  • Roy Edward DisneyAmerican executive of Walt Disney Co.; nephew of Walt Disney
  • Roy Frank "RJ" Mitte IIIAmerican actor
  • Roy Lane MarbleAmerican basketball player
  • Roy Frederick SmalleyJr. and III, American baseball players
  • Roy DupuisFrench,Canadian actor
  • Roy Marcus CohnAmerican McCarthy,era attorney
  • Roy Halston FrowickAmerican fashion designer
  • Roy Kent HeadAmerican singer
  • Roy WilkinsAmerican civil rights activist
  • Roy FeganAmerican actor
  • Roy LichtensteinPop art artist
  • Roy Linzee Tutill (b. 1954)14 year old British boy who was raped and then strangled to death in 1968

Roy in Pop Culture

  • Royprotagonist in the video game "Fire Emblem: Sword of Seals"
  • Roy Trennemancharacter on "The IT Crowd"
  • Roy Mustangcharacter from the manga/anime "Fullmetal Alchemist"
  • Roy Dillonfrom movie "The Grifters" played by John Cusack
  • Roy Wallycharacter in National Lampoon's "Vacation"
  • Roy Andersoncharacter on US TV series "The Office"
  • Roy's Hawaiian Fusion restaurants in Los Angeles
  • Roy DeSotocharacter on TV show "Emergency"
  • Roy G. Bivolo aka Rainbow Raidercharacter on TV's "The Flash"
  • Roy HarperDC Comics superhero named Arsenal, also character on the CW tv series "Arrow", based on the Green Arrow comics, played by Colton Haynes
  • Roycharacter in the video game "Harvest Moon: Animal Parade"
  • Roy Battyantagonist of the 1982 film "Blade Runner"
  • Roy Roostercharacter in the "U.S. Acres" comic strip & "U.S. Acres" Segment of "Garfield and Friends" cartoon show