Roy
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| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Old Norman, Old French, Bengali, Scottish Gaelic |
| Meaning | king or red |
| Region of origin | England, France, Bengal-India, Scotland |
| Other names | |
| Alternative spelling | Roi |
| Related names | Fitzroy, Ray, Glenroy, Elroy, Leroi, Leroy, Royce, Royal, Rai, Rao, Rudd |
Roy is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origin.
In Anglo-Norman England, the name derived from the Norman roy, meaning "king", while its Old French cognate, rey or roy (modern roi), likewise gave rise to Roy as a variant in the Francophone world. In India, Roy is a variant of the surname Rai,[1] likewise meaning "king".[2]
It also arose independently in Scotland, an anglicisation from the Scottish Gaelic nickname ruadh, meaning "red".[1]
Given name
- Roy Acuff (1903–1992), American country music singer and fiddler
- Roy Andersen (born 1955), runner
- Roy Andersen (South Africa) (born 1948), South African businessman and military officer
- Roy Anderson (American football) (born 1980), American football coach
- Sir Roy M. Anderson (born 1947), British scientific adviser
- Roy Andersson (born 1943), Swedish film director
- Roy Andersson (footballer) (born 1949), footballer from Sweden
- Roy Chapman Andrews (1884–1960), American naturalist and explorer
- Roy Ascott (born 1934), British artist and theorist
- Roy Black (singer) (1943–1991), German singer and actor
- Roy Blount Jr. (born 1941), American writer, speaker, reporter and humorist
- Roy Blunt (born 1950), United States Senator and former congressman
- Roy Bucher (1895-1980), British-Indian soldier and Commander-in-Chief
- Roy C (1939–2020), American soul and R&B singer and songwriter
- Roy Campanella (1921–1993), American Hall of Fame baseball catcher
- Roy Campanella II (born 1948), television director and producer, son of the above
- Roy Castle (1932–1994), English dancer, singer, musician, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician
- Roy Cimatu (born 1946), Filipino government administrator and retired army general
- Roy Clark (1933–2018), American country music singer and musician
- Roy Christian (born 1943), New Zealand rugby league footballer
- Roy Cohn (1927–1986), American lawyer best known as Senator Joseph McCarthy's counsel from 1953 to 1954
- Roy Cooper (born 1957), American politician and governor of North Carolina
- Roy DeMeo (1940–1983), Italian-American mobster
- Roy de Silva (1937–2018), Sri Lankan Sinhala actor and director
- Roy E. Disney (1930–2009), American businessman
- Roy O. Disney (1893–1971), American businessman
- Roy Dobbin (1873-1939), founding member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- Roy Drusky (1930–2004), American country music singer and songwriter
- Roy Face (born 1928), often referred to as "Elroy Face", American baseball relief pitcher
- Roy Firestone (born 1953), American sports talk show host
- Roy Foster (baseball) (1945–2008), American baseball player
- Roy Gagnon (1913–2000), American football player
- Roy J. Glauber (1925–2018), American physicist and 2005 Nobel prize winner
- Roy M. Goodman (1930–2014), New York state senator
- Roy Halladay (1977–2017), American baseball pitcher
- Roy Halliday (1923–2007), British vice-admiral
- Roy Halston Frowick (1932–1990), better known as Halston, clothing designer
- Roy Hamilton (1929–1969), American singer
- Roy Hamilton (basketball) (born 1957), American basketball player and sports television producer
- Roy Hargrove (1969–2018), American jazz trumpeter
- Roy Harper (disambiguation)
- Roy Harris (disambiguation)
- Roy Harrison (born 1939), Irish former cricketer
- Roy M. Harrison (born 1948), environmental chemist
- Roy Hartsfield (1925–2011), American Major League Baseball player and manager
- Roy Hattersley (born 1932), British politician, author and journalist
- Roy Head (1941–2020), American country music, rockabilly, and R&B singer
- Roy Hibbert (born 1986), Jamaican-American retired basketball player
- Roy Hodgson (born 1947), English former football player and current manager
- Roy Horn (born Uwe Ludwig Horn, 1944-2020), half of the Las Vegas show team Siegfried & Roy
- Roy Howell (born 1953), American former Major League baseball player
- Roy Lee Jackson (born 1954), American former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Roy Douglas Jayetileke, Sri Lankan Sinhala army officer
- Roy Jenkins (1920–2003), Welsh politician and author
- Roy Johnson (pitcher) (1895–1986), baseball pitcher, manager and longtime coach
- Roy Jones Jr. (born 1969), professional boxer
- Roy Keane (born 1971), Irish former football player and current manager
- Roy Khan (born 1970), former singer of power metal band Kamelot
- Roy Kim (born 1993), born Kim Sang-woo, South Korean singer-songwriter
- Roy Kinnear (1934–1988), English actor
- Roy Lechthaler (1908–1980), American football player
- Roy Li Fey Huei (born 1965), Singaporean musician
- Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997), American pop artist
- Roy Lopez (American football) (born 1997), American football player
- Roy Makaay (born 1975), Dutch footballer and current manager
- Roy Masters (commentator) (born 1928), American talk radio personality, podcaster and spiritual counselor
- Roy McMillan (1929–1997), American baseball player
- Roy Morris (c. 1930–2011), British Scout Leader, recipient of the Silver Wolf Award
- Roy Moore (born 1947), American politician and former state judge
- Roy Nachum (born 1979), Israeli contemporary artist
- Roy Nelson (disambiguation), multiple people
- Roy Niederhoffer (born 1966), American hedge fund manager and philanthropist
- Roy Nissany (born 1994), Israeli racing driver
- Roy Olmstead (1886-1966), American policeman, then bootlegger
- Roy Orbison (1936–1988), American singer-songwriter
- Roy Oxlade (1929–2014), English painter and writer on art
- Roy Pinney (1911–2010), herpetologist, professional photographer, writer, spelunker, pilot and war correspondent
- Roy Rogers (1911–1998), American singing movie cowboy
- Roy Rosselló (born 1970), former member of Puerto Rican Boyband Menudo from 1983–1986.
- Roy Sanders (Louisiana politician) (1904–1976), American educator and Louisiana state legislator
- Roy Scheider (1932–2008), film actor
- Roy Schwartz Tichon, Social entrepreneur promoting public transportation on Saturday in Israel
- Roy Schwitters (born 1944), American physicist
- Roy D. Shapiro, Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School
- Roy Shepherd (born 1931), British ice hockey player
- Roy Shepherd (pianist) (1907–1986), Australian pianist and teacher
- Roy Sievers (1926–2017), American baseball player
- Roy Smalley Jr. (1926–2011), American baseball player, father of Roy Smalley III
- Roy Smalley III (born 1952), American baseball player, son of Roy Smalley Jr.
- Roy Staiger (born 1950), baseball player in the late 1970s
- Roy Sullivan (1912–1983), American park ranger
- Roy Thomas (pitcher) (born 1953), American baseball player
- Roy Underhill (born 1950), host of the PBS series The Woodwright's Shop
- Roy Webb (1888–1982), gospel music pianist and speaker
- Roy White (born 1943), American all-star baseball player
- Roy Williams (basketball coach) (born 1950), American college basketball coach
- Roy Williamson (1936–1990), Scottish folk singer
- Roy Wilkins (1901–1981), civil rights activist
- Roy Wood (born 1946), English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
Surname
- Anupam Roy (born 1982), Indian singer and music director
- Ajoy Roy (1935–2019), Bangladeshi physicist and human rights activist
- Anuradha Roy (novelist) (born 1967), Indian Bengali novelist and journalist
- Aruna Roy (born 1946), Indian Tamil social activist
- Arundhati Roy (born 1961), Indian Keralite novelist and political activist
- Avik Roy, American political commentator
- Bidhan Chandra Roy (1882–1962), Indian Bengali politician
- Bikash Roy (1916–1987), Indian Bengali actor
- Bimal Roy (1909–1966), Indian Bengali film director
- Brandon Roy (born 1984), American basketball player
- Bravvion Roy (born 1996), American football player
- Bryan Roy (born 1970), Dutch football (soccer) player and current manager
- Bunker Roy (born 1945), Indian Bengali social activist
- Claude Roy (physician) (born 1928), Canadian physician
- Claude Roy (poet) (1915–1997), French poet and essayist
- Claude Roy (politician) (born 1952), Canadian politician
- Craig Roy (born 1977), Australian sailor (RAN), RDA comedian of the year 2019, 2020, 2021
- Conrad Roy (1995–2014), American marine salvage captain whose suicide resulted in the manslaughter conviction of his girlfriend
- Debashree Roy (born 1961), Indian Bengali actress
- Deep Roy (born 1957), Kenyan-born Indian actor
- Derek Roy (born 1983), Canadian ice hockey player
- Derek Roy (comedian) (1922–1981), English comedian
- Dolon Roy (born 1970), Indian Bengali actress
- Drew Roy (born 1986), American actor
- Eric Roy (footballer) (born 1967), French footballer
- Eric Roy (politician) (born 1948), New Zealand politician
- Fabien Roy (born 1928), Canadian politician
- Falguni Roy (1945–1981), Indian Bengali poet
- Gabrielle Roy (1909–1983), Canadian author
- Helen Roy (born 1969), British ecologist, entomologist and academic
- Indra Lal Roy (1898–1918), Indian Bengali First World War flying ace
- Jahor Roy (1919–1977), Indian Bengali actor and comedian
- James Roy (politician) (1893–1971), New Zealand politician
- James Roy (writer) (born 1968), Australian writer
- James A. Roy (born 1964), US Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
- Jason Roy (born 1990), English cricketer
- Jeffrey Roy (born 1961), American politician and lawyer
- Jean Sebastien Roy, Canadian motocross rider who enjoyed success in the 2000s
- Jean-Yves Roy (born 1949), Canadian politician
- Juthika Roy (1920–2014), Indian Bengali singer
- Kalidas Roy (1889–1975), Indian Bengali poet
- Kanu Roy (1912–1981), Indian Bengali film actor, and music composer
- Leela Roy (1900–1970), Indian Bengali independence activist and social reformer
- Leo Roy (1904–1955), American/Canadian boxer
- M. N. Roy (1887–1954), Indian Bengali philosopher and revolutionary
- Mathieu Roy (ice hockey, born 1983), Canadian ice hockey player
- Mathieu Roy (ice hockey, born 1986), Canadian ice hockey player
- Matt Roy (born 1995), American ice hockey player
- Mouni Roy (born 1985), Indian actress
- Nirmal Roy (born 1996), Pakistani singer
- Nirupa Roy (1931–2004), Indian Gujarati actress
- Patrick Roy (born 1965), Canadian ice hockey head coach and former goaltender
- Peter Roy (1828-1881), American farmer and politician
- Prannoy Roy (born 1949), Indian Bengali journalist and media personality
- Prasanna Kumar Roy (1849–1932), Indian Bengali educationist
- Rachel Roy (born 1974), American fashion designer
- Ram Mohan Roy (1772–1833), Indian Bengali religious, social and educational reformer
- Rahul Roy (born 1966), Indian film actor
- Rohit Roy (born 1968), Indian actor
- Ronit Roy (born 1965), Indian actor
- Sarat Chandra Roy (1871–1942), Indian Bengali anthropologist
- Satabdi Roy (born 1968), Indian Bengali actress
- Shasanka Mohan Roy (born 1941), Indian quantum physicist
- Shehzad Roy (born 1979), Pakistani pop singer and social worker
- Subrata Roy (born 1948), Indian Bengali businessman
- Subimal Chandra Roy (1912–1971), Indian Bengali jurist
- Subodh Roy (1916–2006), Indian Bengali independence activist
- Sylvie Roy (1964–2016), Canadian politician
- Tarapada Roy (1936–2007), Indian Bengali author
- William Roy (1726–1790), Scottish surveyor
Fictional characters
- Esme & Roy's eponymous monster
- Kiriti Roy, a Bengali fictional detective created by Nihar Ranjan Gupta
- Philly Boy Roy, from the radio show and podcast The Best Show with Tom Scharpling
- Roy (Fire Emblem), from Nintendo's Fire Emblem and Super Smash Bros. video game series
- Roy (Little Britain), from the British sketch show Little Britain
- Roy, a minor character from the Peanuts comic strip
- Roy Biggins, a major character from Wings (1990 TV series)
- Roy Anderson (The Office), from The Office U.S. TV series
- Roy Batty, the leader of the renegade replicants in the film Blade Runner
- Roy G. Bivolo, DC Comics supervillain known as Rainbow Raider
- Roy Carson, from the American movie Final Destination 5
- Roy Cropper, from the British soap opera Coronation Street
- Roy Earle, from the game L.A. Noire
- Roy Greenhilt, from the webcomic Order of the Stick
- Roy Gribbleston, Yellow Guy's father from Don't Hug Me I'm Scared
- Roy Harper (comics), a superhero in the DC Comics universe
- Roy Hobbs, protagonist of the Bernard Malamud novel The Natural and The Natural (film)
- Roy "Jawjack" Kelton, a character from the 1988 movie 14 Going on 30
- Roy Kent, from the streaming television series Ted Lasso
- Roy Koopa, one of the Koopalings from Super Mario Bros. 3
- Roy Miller, protagonist from the 2010 film Green Zone (film)
- Roy Miller, protagonist from the 2010 film Knight and Day
- Roy Mustang, from the Fullmetal Alchemist manga series
- Roy Neary, protagonist from the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind played by Richard Dreyfuss
- Roy O'Brien, eponymous animated protagonist of the TV series Roy
- Roy Race, from the comic strip Roy of the Rovers
- Roy Rooster, in the comic strip U.S. Acres
- Roy Trenneman, from the British sitcom The IT Crowd
- The Roy family, from the American television series Succession
See also
- Robert Roy MacGregor, commonly known as "Rob Roy"
- Rai (surname)
- Ray (given name)
- Ray (surname)
References
- ^ a b Patrick Hankes (2003). Dictionary of American Family Names. Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. p. 230. ISBN 0-19-508137-4..
- ^ Patrick Hankes (2003). Dictionary of American Family Names. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. p. xcvii. ISBN 0-19-508137-4..
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