| Roy | Beau | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | king | Handsome |
| Origin | french | French |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | roy | BOH |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1932 |
| Peak year | 1947 (7,560) | 2025 (5,165) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 5,165 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Roy | Beau |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 3,166 | 25,086 |
| 2010s | 5,017 | 17,768 |
| 2000s | 5,581 | 6,134 |
| 1990s | 8,601 | 5,617 |
| 1980s | 14,308 | 7,174 |
| 1970s | 22,353 | 3,145 |
| 1960s | 40,047 | 472 |
| 1950s | 61,847 | 123 |
| 1940s | 65,648 | 68 |
| 1930s | 51,495 | 5 |
| 1920s | 63,259 | 0 |
| 1910s | 40,340 | 0 |
| 1900s | 10,632 | 0 |
| 1890s | 9,779 | 0 |
| 1880s | 6,565 | 0 |
From Old French 'roy/roi', meaning 'king'. Note a second, separate origin: the Scottish Gaelic nickname 'ruadh' ('red', of hair/complexion) — so Roy can mean 'king' (French) or 'red' (Gaelic) depending on the bearer.
Beau comes directly from the French for “handsome” or “beautiful.”
Beau is more popular than Roy today: about 5,165 US babies were given the name Beau in 2025, compared with 0 named Roy.
Roy means king (french origin), while Beau means Handsome (French origin).
In US records, Roy first appears in 0 and Beau in 1932, so Roy has the longer recorded history.