boy's name
Guy
GY
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 3
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 360,654
Northern Ireland
#403
2015 births
Guy is a boy's name from a Germanic word probably meaning wood or wide, and one of very few names to have become an ordinary English noun — through Guy Fawkes, whose effigies gave the word its modern sense.
- Guy is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1947, when 9,395 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 117,911 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Guy over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 1,960 |
| 1910s | 6,535 |
| 1920s | 35,140 |
| 1930s | 64,915 |
| 1940s | 69,770 |
| 1950s | 59,430 |
| 1960s | 22,405 |
| 1970s | 3,770 |
| 1980s | 1,115 |
| 1990s | 455 |
| 2000s | 225 |
| 2010s | 105 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 30 |
What Guy means
Guy is generally given as wood, or possibly wide. The Germanic element behind it is not securely identified, so both readings are proposals rather than established facts.
Where Guy comes from
Guy comes through Old French from a Germanic name, usually connected to an element meaning wood or wide, though neither derivation is secure. The Normans brought it to England, where it was reasonably common until 1605. Then Guy Fawkes was caught under the House of Lords with the gunpowder, and the annual burning of his effigy made guy first a word for a grotesque figure, then for a man of odd appearance, then simply for a man — and in the plural, in American usage, for people of any sex. It is one of the very few English common nouns that began as a specific person's given name, and the name itself became unusable in England for generations.
Guy in use
Guy peaked in France in 1947, when 9,395 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 891st in Scotland, 1046th in Ireland, 1268th in England and Wales on 23 births, 1643rd in the United States on 103 and 6498th in France, across 360,654 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track. France holds most of its history but now gives it the weakest position of the five.
How popular is Guy?
In 2025, Guy was given to 5 babies in France. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Guy is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Guy
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Guy also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Guy over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Guy in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Guy
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Guy — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Guy
What does the name Guy mean?
Probably wood, or wide — the Germanic element behind it is not securely identified.
Does the word guy come from Guy Fawkes?
Yes. Burning his effigy made guy a word for a grotesque figure, then for a man, then in the plural for people generally.
Is Guy a French name?
It reached English through Old French from a Germanic source, and France holds most of its recorded history.
How popular is Guy?
1268th in England and Wales and 1643rd in the United States.
Is Guy a girl's or a boy's name?
Guy is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Guy?
Guy has 1 syllable.
Is Guy a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Guy currently ranks #891 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.