Roy Family History

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Roy Name Meaning

Scottish: nickname for a person with red hair, from Gaelic ruadh ‘red’. English (of Norman origin): variant of Ray 1, cognate of 3. French: from Old French rey, roy ‘king’ (from Latin rex, genitive regis), a nickname for someone who lived in a regal fashion or who had earned the title in some contest of skill or by presiding over festivities. Indian (Bengal) and Bangladeshi: variant of Rai.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Ray, Rey, Foy, Goy, Toy, Troy, Roe, Ros, Coy, Rog

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Roy Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Roy name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Roy. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    32%

  • France

    26%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    16%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    4%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Roy Family Origin

Where is the Roy family from?

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You can see how Roy families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Roy family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Roy families were found in Canada in 1911. In 1891 there were 214 Roy families living in London. This was about 21% of all the recorded Roy's in the UK. London had the highest population of Roy families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Roy surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Roy

Roy Family Occupations

What did your Roy ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, Farmer, Labourer and Tailor were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Roy. The most common Roy occupation in the UK was Farmer. 4% of Roy's were Farmers. A less common occupation for the Roy family was Annuitant.

View Census data for Roy | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    4%

  • Labourer

    3%

  • Tailor

    2%

  • Annuitant

    2%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Roy ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Roy Historical Records

What Roy family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 520,000 census records available for the last name Roy. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Roy census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Roy

Passenger List

There are 50,000 immigration records available for the last name Roy. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Card

There are 54,000 military records available for the last name Roy. For the veterans among your Roy ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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Roy Life Expectancy

What is the average Roy lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Roy life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Roy in 1940 was 62, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Roy

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Roy ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Roy Family Ancestors

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