Roy

Roy has more than one name history. In a Scottish setting, it can represent Gaelic ruadh, referring to red coloring, as in the nickname Rob Roy. A French surname route connects it with a word for king. These are separate explanations, so a family connection matters when selecting the most appropriate meaning.

Roy Orbison and Roy Lichtenstein provide familiar musical and artistic namesakes. Its single syllable makes the full name easy to use without shortening. Roi and Rey offer related royal-word forms in other languages, while Ray has a different history. A family choosing Roy to honor someone can preserve that connection without choosing between unrelated meanings arbitrarily.