The Roy surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 53,159 people carried this name — #640 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,550 people counted. That is up 7% from 49,725 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Roy surname
Inherited from Old French roy (literally “king, ruler”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Roy» (French), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 18,084 people named Roy.
269 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 99 départements, most often Paris.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
1,052 people named Roy live in Switzerland.
They live in 17 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 16 births for the Roy name in 1890.
Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim and Down.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 426 people named Roy live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 243 people named Roy live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Brussels-Capital.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In Poland’s population register
54 people named Roy have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 270 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 6 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Greater Poland.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
296 people named Roy are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Roy in American newspapers,
1872–1955.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,320,711 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Roy,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Dorimène Roy Desjardins 1858–1932 · banker -
Louis-Rodolphe Roy 1858–1925 · judge -
Yogesh Chandra Roy 1859–1956 · writer -
Kristína Royová 1860–1936 · writer -
Louis George Eléonor Roy 1862–1907 · painter
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 168 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Roy.
- Rovelli 173 · U.S. census
- Rovello 184 · U.S. census
- Rover 424 · U.S. census
- Rovere 227 · U.S. census
- Rovira 1,067 · U.S. census
- Rowe 69,879 · U.S. census
- Royal 15,755 · U.S. census
- Roye 1,612 · U.S. census
- Royer 11,279 · U.S. census
- Royo 294 · U.S. census
- Roz 154 · U.S. census
- Rozan 108 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Roy is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.