Lloyd

Lloyd comes from the Welsh surname and descriptive name Llwyd, meaning “gray.” In a historical nickname it could refer to gray hair or another visible association with the color. The meaning belongs to that older descriptive tradition and does not imply anything about a child’s appearance or age.

The double l preserves a visible connection with Welsh spelling, although the usual English pronunciation differs from the Welsh sound of ll. Actor Lloyd Bridges and musician Lloyd Cole provide familiar first-name associations, while Lloyd George illustrates surname use. The name’s movement from a descriptive surname into a first name gives it a different history from choosing the modern English color name Gray directly.