Troy
Troy was the 533rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 563 babies. Its best year was 1967, when it ranked 40th; the most babies were born in 1970 (8,448). Over the last ten years it has moved down 232 places. More babies were named Troy in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning Troy (ancient city); or Troyes, France · Greek, French
Say it TROY /trɔɪ/
- Rank in 2025
- #533 boys, down 118 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 563boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19708,448 babies
- Total since 1880
- 218,982babies recorded
What does the name Troy mean?
Troy is the ancient city of Homer's Iliad, in what is now northwestern Turkey, from Latin Troia and Greek Troia. Wiktionary and Harrison (1918) also note an English surname from Troyes in France, named after the Gaulish Tricasses tribe. As a first name it is now associated with the classical city; it was popular in the US from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Τροία (Ancient Greek, “Troy”)Troyes (French, “city named for the Tricasses”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Troye.
See also: Greek names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Troy', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. 2 (1918), s.v. 'TROY', Morland Press (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Troy', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Troy popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 2,674 since 1896.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #533 | 563 |
| 2020 | #415 | 718 |
| 2010 | #248 | 1,384 |
| 2000 | #225 | 1,514 |
| 1990 | #128 | 2,505 |
| 1980 | #106 | 2,831 |
| 1970 | #41 | 8,448 |
| 1960 | #162 | 2,056 |
| 1950 | #258 | 637 |
| 1940 | #218 | 577 |
| 1930 | #240 | 533 |
| 1920 | #242 | 519 |
| 1910 | #255 | 90 |
| 1900 | #247 | 69 |
| 1890 | #485 | 16 |
| 1880 | #742 | 8 |
How popular is Troy, counting every spelling?
Troy has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #539 for boys in 2025, against #533 on the official list, because Kason/Kasen/Casen and Chosen/Chozen/Chozyn and Kyren/Kiran/Kyrin move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Troy?
563 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Troy (0.16 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Troy born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 15 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Troy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Troy?
About 177,200 people born in the US named Troy are alive today, with a median age of 51; half are between 33 and 59. That makes Troy mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Troy by state
How common Troy was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Connecticut (1.7×), Michigan (1.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Iowa, Mississippi, Idaho.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Troy: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Troy, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Troy · Sibling names for Troy
Questions about the name Troy
What does Troy mean?
Troy means “Troy (ancient city); or Troyes, France” (Greek, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Troy?
Troy was the 533rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 563 babies. Its best year was 1967, when it ranked 40th; the most babies were born in 1970 (8,448). Over the last ten years it has moved down 232 places. More babies were named Troy in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Troy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Troy in the US.
Where is Troy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Troy was most common in Connecticut (0.64 per 1,000 boys), followed by Alaska and Michigan.