As described in historical dictionaries

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857)

(origin: Gaelic.) Ruadh, Roe, Roy, red-haired; also Roye, a town in England. Roi, French, king, whence Le Roy.

Arthur, William (1857) An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. New York: Sheldon, Blakeman. Public Domain.


Patronymica Britannica (1860)

ROY. Has no relation to the Fr. roi. It is Gaelic, and signifies the red-haired ; and, as such, it has often been n.sed as a sobriquet, down almost to our own times, in conjunction with, or to supersede, a family name.

Lower, Mark A (1860) Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom. London: J.R. Smith. Public Domain.


Region of origin: Asia

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