Roy
Scottish Gaelic ruadh, “red-haired,” overlaid in English by French roi, “king.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Roy appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1880 to 1968. Its biggest year was 1947, when 7,560 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 48 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1889, at No. 18. In 2025 it ranked No. 525 for boys. All told, 411,331 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Rye (1,236) (total births since 1880)
Explore Roy interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 6,565 | No. 18 |
| 1890s | 9,779 | No. 18 |
| 1900s | 10,632 | No. 20 |
| 1910s | 40,340 | No. 29 |
| 1920s | 63,259 | No. 31 |
| 1930s | 51,495 | No. 33 |
| 1940s | 65,648 | No. 38 |
| 1950s | 61,847 | No. 51 |
| 1960s | 40,047 | No. 80 |
| 1970s | 22,353 | No. 108 |
| 1980s | 14,308 | No. 153 |
| 1990s | 8,601 | No. 235 |
| 2000s | 5,581 | No. 399 |
| 2010s | 5,017 | No. 524 |
| 2020s | 3,166 | No. 525 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.