US rank #541 Boys' name Peak 1947 408,050 births

Roy — #541 US boys' name

408,050 babies named Roy in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1947. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s65651890s97791900s106321910s403401920s632591930s514951940s656451950s618471960s400441970s223521980s143081990s86002000s55782010s50152020s2591
#541
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 96% of names given to boys today.

1940s
Peak decade

16% of everyone ever named Roy was born in this single decade.

1947
Single peak year

7,560 babies were named Roy in 1947 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Roy

The Social Security Administration has registered 408,050 babies named Roy between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Roy currently holds the #541 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1947, when 7,560 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Roy performed strongest in the 1940s, accumulating 65,645 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Roy shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Texas, which accounts for 36,527 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and New York. In total, SSA state-level files list Roy in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Roy in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 408,050 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Roy at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

408,050

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1947

7,560 births that year

Strongest decade: 1940s

Current rank

#541

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Roy popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1947)
7,560
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
02,0004,0006,0008,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 440

Roy popularity over time — girls

2,693 total births recorded since 1885 (Roy as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 2,693 births
020406080 202219771963194919351921190718911885 5

Roy by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1940s
Peak decade
1940s
65,645 births that decade — 16% of Roy's all-time total
1880s65651890s97791900s106321910s403401920s632591930s514951940s656451950s618471960s400441970s223521980s143081990s86002000s55782010s50152020s2591

Roy by state

Where Roy concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Roy
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
36,527 9.0%
#2 California
22,574 5.5%
#3 New York
17,487 4.3%
#4 Illinois
17,034 4.2%
#5 North Carolina
15,973 3.9%
#6 Pennsylvania
15,644 3.8%
#7 Tennessee
15,263 3.7%
#8 Georgia
15,052 3.7%
Texas share of Roy's total US births 9.0%
Even split

36,527 of 408,050 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Roy appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Roy?
408,050 babies have been named Roy since 1880. It currently ranks #541 among boys. The peak year was 1947 with 7,560 births.
When was Roy most popular?
Roy was most popular in the 1940s decade with 65,645 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Roy most popular?
The top states for the name Roy are Texas (36,527 births), California (22,574 births), New York (17,487 births).
How long has the name Roy been used?
Roy has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Roy?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Royce, Royal, Royden, Royale, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Roy

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.