LeRoy in my family tree1: English (Norman): nickname from Old French rey, roy king (from Latin rex, genitive regis), denoting someone who behaved in a regal fashion or who had earned the title in some contest of skill or by presiding over festivities. 2: English: nickname for a timid person, from Middle English ray female roe deer (Old English rœge) or northern Middle English ray roebuck (Old English ra). 3: English: topographic name, a variant of Rye, either a topographic name for one who lived on an island, from a misdivision of Middle English atter ye at the island (Old English œt þœre ige, from eg island), or a topographic name for one who lived near a river, from a misdivision of Middle English atter eye at the river (Old English œt þœre eœ, from ea river). 4: English: habitation name, a variant of Wray, an habitation name from any of several minor places in Northern England deriving their names from Old Norse vrá nook, corner, recess. 5: Jewish (Ashkenazic): of unknown origin.
Variants (of 1 - 4): Raye, Rey. (of 1 only): Roy. (of 2 only): Buck, Roebuck.
Cognates (of 1): Catalan: Reig, Rey. French: Leroy, Le Roy, Reix, Rey, Roy; Roué (Bretagne). Italian: Lo Ré, Ré, Rege. Portuguese: Rei, Reis. Spanish: Rey, Reyes. (of 2): Dutch, Flemish: De Ree.
Patronymics (from 1): English: Fitzroy. Italian: De Rege, De Regibus, De Regis, Del Ré, Regibus, Regis.
d'Auriac ["La nationalité français, sa formation", 1913] suggests that Le Roy may be a contraction of l'homme le roi, a person in the service of a king. Dauzat ["Les Noms de Famille de France", 1945] disagrees, on the grounds that while the usage l'homme le roi is unusual, the normal form being l'homme du roi, the surname Duroy is far less common that Leroy. His explanation of Leroy accords with (1) above, perhaps used in a ironic fashion.
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