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![Show Contents]() Roya History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Scotland Ireland
The name Roya is an age-old Dalriadan-Scottish nickname for a person with red hair. Roya 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 Roya comes from the Gaelic word ruadh, which means red. Thus, the original bearers of the surname Roya would have been known for their red hair, or possibly, a ruddy complexion. Early Origins of the Roya familyThe surname Roya 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 Roya familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roya research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1488, 1527, 1550 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Roya History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Roya Spelling VariationsThe translation of Gaelic names in the Middle Ages was not a task undertaken with great care. Records from that era show an enormous number of spelling variations, even in names referring to the same person. Over the years Roya has appeared as Roy, Roys, Roye, Roi, McRoy and others. Early Notables of the Roya familyAnother 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Roya Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Roya family to Ireland
Some of the Roya 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.
| Roya migration to the United States | + |
Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Roya or a variant listed above:
Roya Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Ant Roya, aged 32, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1830 1
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.
- 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)
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Roya migration to the United States 
