Coy

Coy is both an English word and an established given name. In ordinary speech, coy can mean shy or reserved, sometimes with a suggestion of deliberate playfulness. That vocabulary association is recognizable, but it does not describe the character of every person with the name or establish every family's reason for choosing it.

Musician Coy Bowles and the fictional Coy Duke provide examples of the name in different cultural settings. American records also show it in use well before contemporary word-name fashions. Coy is complete without a longer form; McCoy has a different surname history and is not simply an expanded version of the adjective. The brief spelling carries both older naming use and an everyday English association.