2000
#621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,725
First available Census row
Per 100,000 18.43
Uncommon Last name
Roy
A French and Scottish surname derived from the Old French "roi," meaning "king," likely referring to a kingly person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 62,025 Americans carry the last name Roy. That puts it at #606 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,526 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roy surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Roy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
62K
1 in 5,526
Census rank
#606
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
54K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 54,089 bearers of the surname Roy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 606th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roy, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.6%) and Black (8.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roy
The surname ROY has its origins in the ancient French province of Normandy. It is derived from the Old French words "roi" and "roy", meaning "king". The name first emerged in the 11th century, during the Norman conquest of England.
In 1066, William the Conqueror led his Norman forces to victory at the Battle of Hastings, establishing Norman rule over England. Many of William's loyal followers and knights were granted lands and titles, and some adopted the surname ROY to signify their allegiance to the new ruling class.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ROY can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions several individuals with the surname ROY, including William Roy of Oxfordshire and Hugh Roy of Gloucestershire.
As the Norman influence spread across Europe, the name ROY began to appear in various regions. In Scotland, the name was often associated with the Clan Roy, a powerful Highland clan that traces its roots back to the 13th century. Notable members of the Clan Roy include Alasdair Roy, a prominent warrior who fought in the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
In France, the name ROY was particularly prevalent in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. One of the most famous French Roys was René Roy, a 17th-century playwright and poet who was born in Normandy in 1616 and died in Paris in 1692.
In England, the surname ROY has a long and distinguished history. Sir Robert Roy, a prominent English politician and diplomat, served as Lord Privy Seal under King Henry VIII in the early 16th century. Another notable English Roy was Sir Thomas Roy, a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in London during the 17th century.
In the United States, the name ROY has been present since the early colonial era. One of the earliest recorded Roys in America was John Roy, who arrived in Virginia from England in 1635. Another notable American Roy was James Roy, a Revolutionary War soldier who fought alongside General George Washington and later became a member of the Society of the Cincinnati.
Throughout history, the surname ROY has been borne by numerous influential figures across various fields, including politics, literature, art, and military service. While the name originated in Normandy, it has since become a part of the cultural fabric of many nations, a testament to the enduring legacy of the Norman conquest and the lasting impact of the ROY lineage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roy
Among Census respondents with the surname Roy, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.6%) and Black (8.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Roy bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Roy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.6% · 37,122
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.6% · 7,889
- Black or African American8.1% · 4,405
- Two or more races3.9% · 2,090
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,809
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 774
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roy
Roy appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 53,159
+3,434 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 18.02
Rank movement Down 19 places
2020
#606
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,089
+930 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 18.10
Rank movement Up 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #621 | 49,725 | 18.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #640 | 53,159 | 18.02 | +3,434 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 19 places |
| 2020 | #606 | 54,089 | 18.10 | +930 bearers (+1.7%) | Up 34 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Roy surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #640 | #606 | 5.3% |
| Count | 53,159 | 54,089 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 18.02 | 18.10 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roy bearers went from 53,159 to 54,089 (+1.7% change). The surname moved up 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #640 to #606.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Roy
FAQ
Roy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roy?
Name Census estimates that about 62,025 living Americans carry the surname Roy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,526 residents.
How common is Roy?
Roy ranks #606 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 54,089 people with the surname Roy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (62,025), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Roy.
Has Roy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roy went from 53,159 recorded bearers to 54,089. That is an increase of 930 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #640 to #606.
What does the Census say about the background of Roy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roy, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.6%) and Black (8.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Roy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (37,122 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (14.6%), Black (8.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Roy (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Roy mean?
A French and Scottish surname derived from the Old French "roi," meaning "king," likely referring to a kingly person. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Roy (18.10 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Roy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.