Given name & surname
Troy
“son of a footsoldier”
Troy is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “son of a footsoldier.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “son of a footsoldier.”
Where it comes from
Troy comes from Latin, and ultimately from Ancient Greek.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Troy through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 218,982
- 216,308 boys · 2,674 girls
- Most popular year
- 1970
- 8,545 babies
- 2025
- 563
- #533 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −29%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 563 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 533 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 29.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 8,448 in 1970. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (68). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 162,599 as a first name in 2020; 7,626 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Troy’s family of names
In English usage, Troy has a related form in Troi. Troy has a related form in Troi. In English usage, Troy has a related form in Troye.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Troy
- Troy KotsurAmerican actor (born 1968)
- Troy BakerAmerican voice actor (born 1976)
- Troy DeeneyEnglish association football player (born 1988)
- Troy DonahueAmerican actor (1936-2001)
- Troy ParrottIrish association football player (born 2002)
- Troy AikmanAmerican professional football playerborn 1966
- Troy GarityAmerican actorborn 1973
- Troy MurphyAmerican basketball player (born 1980)
- Troy GentileAmerican actorborn 1993
Characters named Troy: Troy McClure (The Simpsons franchise), Troy Bolton (High School Musical character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Troy, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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