Roy
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Roy or Roi is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origins.
France
In France, this family name originated from the Normans, the descendants of Norse Vikings who migrated to Amigny, a commune in Manche, Normandy.[1][2][3][4] The derivation is from the Old French roy, roi (Script error: No such module "IPA".), meaning "king", which was a byname used before the Norman Conquest and a personal name in the Middle Ages.[5]
Earliest references cite Guillaume de Roy (William of Roy), who was a knight of the Knights Templar and one of several knights and feudal lords (seigneur)[6][7][8][9] of the Roy family in France and Switzerland.[10][11][12]
In Canada and in the United States, the descendants of the families of Roy, Le Roy that immigrated to North America have been granted a coat of arms by the Governor General of Canada.[13][14][15]
England
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After the Norman Conquest, the victorious Normans and their allies settled England and eventually formed the ruling class of nobles called Anglo-Normans.[16][2] Roy, or Roi was a family name and also a title that was used by the kings of England & royal administration (such as Norroy and Viceroy).[17][18][19] This is seen with patronymic surnames like Fitzroy, from Fi(t)z, meaning "son of" and Roy, "king", denoting the name bearer as a "son of the king".[20][21][22]
Le Roy le veult ("The King wills it"), is a Norman French phrase still used in the Parliament of the United Kingdom to this day as royal assent. A legacy of a time prior to 1488 when parliamentary and judicial proceedings were conducted in Norman.[23][24]
India
In India, Roy is an anglicized variant of the surname Rai, likewise meaning "king". Rai (title) is a historical title of royalty and nobility in the Indian subcontinent used by rulers and chieftains of many princely states.[2]
Scotland
The name Roy is also found in Scotland, an anglicisation from the Scottish Gaelic nickname ruadh, meaning "red".[2]
Given name
- Roy Acuff (1903–1992), American country music singer and fiddler
- Roy Andersen (born 1955), Norwegian former long-distance runner
- Roy Andersen (general) (born 1948), South African businessman and military officer
- Roy Anderson (American football) (born 1980), American football coach
- 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 Ayers (1940–2025), American vibraphonist, record producer and composer
- Roy E. Ayers (1882–1955), American politician, governor of Montana
- 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 Clarke (born 1930), English comedy writer
- Roy Choi (born 1970), Korean-American chef
- Roy Christian (1943–2024), 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 (2017–2025)
- Roy Cooper (rodeo cowboy) (1955–2025), American rodeo cowboy
- Roy Crossley (1923–2003), English footballer
- Roy Degoregore (1922–1996), Nauruan politician
- 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 Doron (born 1990), Israeli musician, singer, composer, and music producer
- 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 Haynes (1925–2024), American jazz drummer
- 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 Ladson Jr. (1983-), Lead singer of Roy & Revelation
- Roy Lechthaler (1908–1980), American football player
- Roy Li (born 1965), Singaporean musician
- Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997), American pop artist
- Roy Lopez (American football) (born 1997), American football player
- Roy McMillan (1929–1997), American baseball player
- Roy Makaay (born 1975), Dutch footballer and current manager
- Roy Marika (c. 1925 – 1993), Aboriginal Australian artist and Indigenous rights activist
- Roy Marten (born Roy Wicaksono Abdul, 1952) Indonesian actor
- Roy Masters (commentator) (1928–2021), American talk radio personality
- Roy Mbaeteka (born 2000), Nigerian-American football player
- Roy Moore (born 1947), American politician and former state judge
- Roy Morris (Template:Circa – 2011), British Scout Leader, recipient of the Silver Wolf Award
- 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 Parmelee (1907–1981), American baseball player
- Roy Earl Parrish (1888–1918), American politician
- Roy Pinney (1911–2010), herpetologist, professional photographer, writer, spelunker, pilot and war correspondent
- Roy Poels (born 1972), Dutch judoka
- Roy Roebuck (1929–2023), British politician
- Roy Rogers (1911–1998), American singing movie cowboy
- Roy Rosselló (born 1970), member of Puerto Rican boy band Menudo from 1983 to 1986
- Roy Scheider (1932–2008), film actor
- Roy Schwartz Tichon (born 1992), social entrepreneur promoting public transportation on Saturday in Israel
- Roy Schwitters (1944–2023), American physicist
- Roy D. Shapiro, professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School
- Roy Shepherd (1931–2008), 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 Strong (born 1935), English art historian, museum curator, writer, broadcaster and landscape designer
- Roy Sullivan (1912–1983), American park ranger
- Roy Suryo (born 1968), former Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs of Indonesia
- Roy Thomas (pitcher) (born 1953), American baseball player
- Roy Underhill (born 1950), host of the PBS series The Woodwright's Shop
- Roy Wang, also known as Wang Yuan (born 2000), Chinese singer-songwriter, television host and actor
- 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
- Roy Wood Jr. (born 1978), American comedian and humorist
Surname
- Ajoy Roy (1935–2019), Bangladeshi physicist and human rights activist
- Anupam Roy (born 1982), Indian singer and music director
- Anuradha Roy (novelist) (born 1967), Indian Bengali novelist and journalist
- Arun Roy (1968 or 1969–2025), Bangladeshi cinematographer
- 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) (1928–2015), Canadian physician
- Claude Roy (poet) (1915–1997), French poet and essayist
- Claude Roy (politician) (born 1952), Canadian politician
- 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 (1928–2023), 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
- Jaquelin Roy (born 2000), American football player
- 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
- Joshua Roy (born 2003), Canadian ice hockey player
- 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) (born 1983), Canadian ice hockey player
- Mathieu Roy (ice hockey, born 1986) (born 1986), Canadian ice hockey player
- Matt Roy (born 1995), American ice hockey player
- Mouni Roy (born 1985), Indian actress
- Nicolas Roy (born 1997), Canadian ice hockey player
- Nicole Roy, Canadian professor of human nutrition in New Zealand
- 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
- Prafulla Roy (1934–2025), Indian writer
- 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
- Rudolf Roy (1920–1944), German tank commander
- 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
- Zachary Roy (born 2003), Canadian soccer player
Fictional characters
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- Esme & Roy's eponymous monster
- Kiriti Roy, a fictional detective created by Nihar Ranjan Gupta
- Philly Boy Roy, from the radio show and podcast The Best Show with Tom Scharpling
- Roy, from the video game Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
- Roy, from the British sketch show Little Britain
- Roy, a minor character from the Peanuts comic strip
- Roy Biggins, a major character from Wings
- Roy Anderson, from The Office
- 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 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 The Order of the Stick
- Roy Gribbleston, Yellow Guy's father from Don't Hug Me I'm Scared
- Roy Harper, 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 film 14 Going on 30
- Roy Kent, from the streaming television series Ted Lasso
- Roy Koopa, one of the Koopalings from the Mario franchise
- Roy Miller, protagonist from the 2010 film Green Zone
- Roy Miller, protagonist from the 2010 film Knight and Day
- Roy Mustang, from the manga Fullmetal Alchemist
- Roy Neary, protagonist from Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- Roy O'Brien, eponymous animated protagonist of 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 series Succession
- Roy Raskin, one of the main characters in The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder
- Roy, one of the main characters in Pokémon Horizons: The Series
- Roy, an anthropomorphic fire engine in the preschool TV series Robocar Poli
See also
- Leroy (name)
- Leroi
- Rai (surname)
- Rey (surname)
- Ray (surname)
- Roi (disambiguation)
- Rob Roy MacGregor (1671–1734), Scottish outlaw and folk hero
References
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Categories:
- Pages with script errors
- Pages with broken file links
- Surnames of Norman origin
- English-language surnames
- French-language surnames
- Given names derived from colors
- Scottish masculine given names
- English masculine given names
- French masculine given names
- Masculine given names
- Surnames of Indian origin
- Bengali Hindu surnames