Contents [hide]

Roy History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Roy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Scotland
Ireland

The ancestors of the first families to use the name Roy lived in ancient Scotland in the kingdom of Dalriada. The name was then used as a nickname for a person with red hair. Roy is a nickname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Nicknames form a broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, and can refer directly or indirectly to one's personality, physical attributes, mannerisms, or even their habits of dress. The surname Roy comes from the Gaelic word ruadh, which means red. Thus, the original bearers of the surname Roy would have been known for their red hair, or possibly, a ruddy complexion.

Early Origins of the Roy family

The surname Roy was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow, where they held a family seat from very early times, where some say before the Millenium.

Early History of the Roy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roy research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1488, 1527, 1550 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Roy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roy Spelling Variations

In various documents Roy has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. Roy, Roys, Roye, Roi, McRoy and others.

Early Notables of the Roy family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

William Roy (fl. 1527), friar and assistant to William Tindal in the translation of the New Testament...
He was possibly son of William Roy, native of Brabant, to whom letters patent of denization were issued in London1...

Roy World Ranking

In the United States, the name Roy is the 446^th most popular surname with an estimated 62,175 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Roy is ranked the 5^th most popular surname with an estimated 90,417 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Roy is the 3^rd popular surname. 4 France ranks Roy as 63^rd with 36,435 people. 5 New Zealand ranks Roy as 868^th with 844 people. 6

Migration of the Roy family to Ireland

Some of the Roy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roy migration to the United States +

Many who arrived from Scotland settled along the east coast of North America in communities that would go on to become the backbones of the young nations of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many settlers who remained loyal to England went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Their descendants later began to recover the lost Scottish heritage through events such as the highland games that dot North America in the summer months. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Roy family emigrate to North America:

Roy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry and Margaret Roy who settled in Virginia in 1637
Jacob Roy, aged 42, who landed in New York in 1647 7
Hugh Roy, who settled in Virginia in 1654
Christian Roy, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 7

Roy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Daniel Roy, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1700 7
Daniel Roy, who settled in Virginia in 1700
Jacques Roy, who arrived in Jamestown, Va in 1700 7
Bryan Roy, who landed in Virginia in 1705 7
Francois Roy, aged 30, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Roy, aged 21, who arrived in New York in 1812 7
Juan Bautista Roy, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1816 7
Mrs. Roy, aged 45, settled with her three children in New Orleans in 1821
George Roy, aged 26, who arrived in Barnstable, Massachusetts in 1822 7
James Roy, aged 24, who landed in Barnstable, Massachusetts in 1822 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Roy Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Benoit Roy, who arrived in Canada in 1632-1760
Hierosme Roy, who landed in Quebec in 1643
Mr. Jacques Roy, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 6th April 1643 8
Mr. Jérôme Roy, French labourer travelling to Canada to work for Guillaume Couillard, arriving on 9th April 1643 8
Mr. Jean Roy, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 4th April 1644 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Edmond Roy, son of Michel and Françoise, who married Marie-Anne Janvier, daughter of Jean and Dorothée, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Quebec on 7th February 1701 9
Jean-Baptiste Roy, son of Nicolas and Jeanne, who married Claire Cadrin, daughter of Nicolas and Françoise, in Saint-Michel, Quebec on 17th October 1701 9
André Roy, son of Jean and Françoise, who married Jeanne Pladeau, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, in Montreal, Quebec on 9th May 1701 9
Étienne Roy, son of Nicolas and Marie-Madeleine, who married Marie Cassé, daughter of Joseph and Marie-Françoise, in Beaumont, Quebec on 18th November 1709 9
Alexis Roy, son of Nicolas and Marie-Madeleine, who married Madeleine Leclerc, daughter of Pierre and Isabelle, in Saint-Laurent-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Quebec on 20th July 1716 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roy migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Roy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Roy, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 1st October 1829, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Jane Roy, English convict from Kent, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on December 14, 1835, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11
John Roy, aged 22, a gardener, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Omega" 12
Miss Catherine Roy, (Jackson), Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duchess of Northumberland" on 25th November 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13

Roy migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Roy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Roy, Australian settler travelling from Port Phillip Bay, Victoria aboard the ship "Earl Stanhope" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 14
Mr. Cyril Roy, Cornish settler travelling from Launceston, UK aboard the ship "Brothers" arriving in New Zealand in 1850 14
Mr. William Roy, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Stately" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 1st June 1851 15
Mr. David Roy, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 15
Miss Bessy Roy, (b. 1858), aged 17, Scottish nurse from Perth travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Roy (post 1700) +

Travis Matthew Roy (1975-2020), American college ice hockey player, author and philanthropist, founder of The Travis Roy Foundation
David Tod Roy (1933-2016), American sinologist and scholar of Chinese literature
Vesta Roy (1925-2002), American politician and acting governor of New Hampshire 1982-1983
J Stapleton Roy (b. 1935), American (Chinese-born) diplomat and Asian affairs expert, US ambassador to Singapore 1984-1986
William Burton Le Roy, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Albany County 4th District, 1889, 1890 16
H. Eugene Le Roy, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 11th District, 1932 16
William Roy (1726-1790), Scottish Major-General Royal Engineers, son of John Roy (1697–1748), born at Milton Head in Carluke parish, Lanarkshire
Subrata "Saharashri" Roy (1948-2023), Indian businessman who founded Sahara India Pariwar in 1978
Fabien Roy (1928-2023), Canadian politician who was active in Quebec in the 1970s
Soumendu Roy (1933-2023), Indian cinematographer most known for his work with noted director Satyajit Ray's films, starting with Teen Kanya (1961)
... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Roy family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Ian A Roy (b. 1923), New Zealander Boy 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Dunedin, New Zealand, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 17

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Roy, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking, was listed as missing and presumed killed during the evacuation of Singapore 1942 18

The Roy Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Qua tendis
Motto Translation: Whither do you steer.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1835 with 132 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1835
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) OMEGA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Omega.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duchess-of-northumberland
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html