Roy

“Red-haired” — Scottish Gaelic origin

Boy's name · #525 in the US (2025) · Heirloom

Roy is an heirloom: its strongest era came around 1889, when it ranked #18. It has thinned since but never left the records — about 409,000 boys since 1880, ranked #525 today. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Around the world: about 1 in 1,200 boys in Puerto Rico (2025) · about 1 in 2,200 boys in Sweden (2025) · about 1 in 2,700 boys in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 37 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Roys

Roy J. Glauber — American theoretical physicist (1925–2018)
Roy Orbison — American musician (1936 –1988)
Roy Keane — Irish football manager (born 1971)
Roy Lichtenstein — American pop artist (1923–1997)
Roy Scheider — American actor (1932–2008)

In stories & tradition

Roy Harper — The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure · Teen Titans
Roy Mustang — Fullmetal Alchemist · Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Roy Geary — Prison Break

What Roys become

Among 2,983 notable people named Roy:

Sports figures appear 1.65× more often than among typical names — e.g. Roy Makaay, Dutch footballer (born 1975).

Similar names: Houston · Ross · Troy · Davis · Ronnie · Barry

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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