boys' name ★ peaked 1947

Roy

Meaning A male given name from Scottish Gaelic Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #525 Trend ↑ Rising 14%

A male given name from Scottish Gaelic.

Rank 2025
#525
among boys · ↑16 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
570
named Roy · +3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,997
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1947
7,592 babies
All-time total
411,331
#83 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Roy popularity over time

411,331 babies have been named Roy since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 32 6,565 6,597 660 – #18
1890s 80 9,779 9,859 986 +49% #18
1900s 82 10,632 10,714 1,071 +9% #20
1910s 289 40,340 40,629 4,063 +279% #29
1920s 544 63,259 63,803 6,380 +57% #31
1930s 381 51,495 51,876 5,188 -19% #33
1940s 359 65,648 66,007 6,601 +27% #38
1950s 335 61,847 62,182 6,218 -6% #51
1960s 261 40,047 40,308 4,031 -35% #80
1970s 171 22,353 22,524 2,252 -44% #108
1980s 147 14,308 14,455 1,446 -36% #153
1990s – 8,601 8,601 860 -40% #235
2000s – 5,581 5,581 558 -35% #400
2010s 7 5,017 5,024 502 -10% #524
2020s (to 2025) 5 3,166 3,171 529 +5% #525

Where Roy is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 582 0.34 outside top 500
2027 593 0.35 outside top 500
2028 602 0.35 outside top 500
2029 609 0.36 #495
2030 616 0.36 #489

Where Roy is most popular

Boys named Roy per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.310 per 1,000. Strongest in Montana, Idaho, and Nebraska.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Roy born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Montana 31 1.76 +467%
Idaho 26 0.635 +105%
Nebraska 25 0.575 +85%
Minnesota 69 0.562 +81%
Oregon 40 0.527 +70%
Washington 83 0.507 +64%
Utah 48 0.503 +62%
Iowa 31 0.450 +45%
Wisconsin 49 0.414 +33%
California 374 0.409 +32%
Hawaii 6 0.386 +25%
New York 167 0.386 +24%
Kansas 25 0.364 +18%
Oklahoma 32 0.362 +17%
South Carolina 37 0.358 +15%
Virginia 67 0.353 +14%
New Jersey 71 0.353 +14%
Pennsylvania 90 0.339 +9%
Tennessee 61 0.338 +9%
Michigan 68 0.332 +7%
Texas 289 0.328 +6%
Florida 154 0.325 +5%
Arizona 53 0.324 ≈ national
Georgia 82 0.324 ≈ national
Nevada 18 0.316 ≈ national
Missouri 43 0.310 ≈ national
Illinois 79 0.309 ≈ national
Louisiana 30 0.293 -5%
Ohio 75 0.283 -9%
Indiana 43 0.268 -14%
North Carolina 68 0.266 -14%
Alabama 27 0.247 -20%
Colorado 30 0.232 -25%
Maryland 27 0.226 -27%
New Hampshire 5 0.225 -27%
Kentucky 22 0.219 -29%
Massachusetts 27 0.196 -37%
New Mexico 6 0.182 -41%
Mississippi 10 0.176 -43%
Arkansas 7 0.111 -64%
Connecticut 5 0.074 -76%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Maine – – –
North Dakota – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Roy

Roy is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #525 in 2025 with 570 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 411,331 American babies have been named Roy. Its peak came in 1947, when 7,592 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Roy stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Roy?

The median living Roy is about 65 years old; half are between 50 and 75. An estimated 178 thousand people named Roy are alive in the United States today.

median 65 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Roy year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 570 #525
2024 – – 553 #541
2023 – – 526 #556
2022 5 #17,298 509 #576
2021 – – 521 #551
2020 – – 487 #572
2019 – – 494 #565
2018 – – 520 #541
2017 – – 531 #533
2016 – – 539 #540
2015 7 #14,222 534 #533
2014 – – 525 #531
2013 – – 508 #524
2012 – – 466 #559
2011 – – 443 #566
2010 – – 457 #555
2009 – – 473 #557
2008 – – 552 #496
2007 – – 536 #495
2006 – – 599 #451
2005 – – 531 #471
2004 – – 543 #467
2003 – – 570 #440
2002 – – 566 #439
2001 – – 573 #428
2000 – – 638 #400
1995 – – 732 #336
1990 – – 1,227 #235
1985 17 #4,603 1,379 #186
1980 22 #3,695 1,779 #153
1975 15 #4,312 2,121 #122
1970 15 #4,003 3,041 #108
1965 18 #3,026 3,785 #95
1960 31 #2,084 5,255 #80
1955 47 #1,495 6,331 #58
1950 32 #1,673 6,454 #51
1945 26 #1,653 6,183 #40
1940 37 #1,214 5,565 #42
1935 28 #1,411 4,939 #40
1930 56 #990 5,917 #33
1925 53 #1,046 6,376 #32
1920 46 #1,114 6,355 #32
1915 43 #1,023 5,052 #32
1910 9 #1,749 1,267 #29
1905 9 #1,399 1,016 #24
1900 6 #1,899 1,215 #21
1895 10 #1,111 1,028 #19
1890 11 #866 941 #18
1885 5 #1,177 691 #24
1880 – – 440 #37

Famous people named Roy

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Roy Cohn Roy Cohn American lawyer and prosecutor (1927–1986) Contemporary
  2. 2 Roy Keane Roy Keane Irish footballer (born 1971) Contemporary
  3. 3 Roy Orbison Roy Orbison American singer-songwriter (1936–1988) Contemporary
  4. 4 Roy Scheider Roy Scheider American actor (1932–2008) Contemporary
  5. 5 Roy Jones Jr. Roy Jones Jr. American boxer (born 1969) Contemporary
  6. 6 Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson English football manager and player (born 1947) Contemporary
  7. 7 Roy O. Disney Roy O. Disney American entrepreneur (1893–1971) 19th century
  8. 8 Roy Rogers Roy Rogers American singer and actor (1911–1998) Contemporary
  9. 9 Roy Wood Roy Wood English rock musician (born 1946) Contemporary
  10. 10 Roy E. Disney Roy E. Disney American businessman and media executive (1930–2009) Contemporary
  11. 11 Roy Lichtenstein Roy Lichtenstein American pop artist (1923–1997) Contemporary
  12. 12 Roy Sullivan Roy Sullivan Man struck by lightning 7 times (1912–1983) Contemporary
  13. 13 Roy Makaay Roy Makaay Dutch footballer (born 1975) Contemporary
  14. 14 Roy Raymond Roy Raymond American businessman (1947–1993) Contemporary
  15. 15 Roy Harper Roy Harper British singer-songwriter (born 1941) Contemporary
  16. 16 Roy Buchanan Roy Buchanan American blues musician (1939–1988) Contemporary
  17. 17 Roy Emerson Roy Emerson Australian tennis player (born 1936) Contemporary
  18. 18 Roy Urquhart Roy Urquhart British military officer (1901–1988) Contemporary
  19. 19 Roy Andersson Roy Andersson Swedish film director b. 1943 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Roy Haynes Roy Haynes American jazz drummer and group leader (1925–2024) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Roy, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Roy?

The median living Roy is about 65 years old. Half of all living Roys are between 50 and 75 years old.

How many people named Roy are alive today?

An estimated 178 thousand people named Roy are alive in the United States, based on 411,331 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Roy mean?

A male given name from Scottish Gaelic.

How popular is the name Roy in 2025?

Roy ranked #525 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 570 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Roy?

411,331 babies have been named Roy in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Roy most popular?

Roy peaked in 1947, when 7,592 newborns received the name.

Is Roy a boy or girl name?

Roy is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Roy rising or falling?

Roy is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Roy become more popular?

Roy is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 616 boys named Roy in 2030, which would rank around #489. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Roy?

Well-known people named Roy include Roy Cohn (lawyer), Roy Keane (soccer player), Roy Orbison (singer).

Names like Roy

Names that sound and feel close to Roy: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Roy with similar names → More names starting with R →