Leroy, also Leeroy, LeeRoy, Lee Roy, LeRoy or Le Roy, is both a male given name and a family name of Norman origin. Leroy ørwais one of the most common surnames in northern France. This family name originated from the

Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...

, the descendants of Norse

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...

from

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

and

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

who later migrated to

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

. which cited for the surname "leroy". The derivation is from ''le roy'', meaning "the king". The Normans brought this surname to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, which in medieval times was used as a nickname either for one who behaved in a regal fashion, or who had earned the title in some contest of skill. "Le Roy le veult" ("The King wills it"), is a Norman French phrase still used in the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

to this day as

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...

. for the surname of "King" and "Roy".

Given name

* Leroy (musician), American musician *

Leroy Anderson Leroy Anderson ( ) (June 29, 1908 – May 18, 1975) was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. John Williams described him as ...

, American composer *Archbishop LeRoy Bailey, Jr., senior pastor of The First Cathedral, Bloomfield, Connecticut * Leroy Brown (athlete), Olympic medal-winning American athlete *

Leroy Brown (wrestler) Roland C. Daniels (November 30, 1950 – September 6, 1988) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Leroy Brown. He took his ring name from the Jim Croce song about "Bad, Bad" Leroy Brown, which also became his the ...

, a ring name of professional wrestler Roland Daniels * Leroy "Shaq" Buchanan (born 1997), American basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League *

Leroy Burrell Leroy Russel Burrell (born February 21, 1967) is an American former track and field athlete, who twice set the world record for the 100 m sprint. Early life Burrell grew up in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, and attended Penn Wood High School, w ...

, American athlete *

Leroy Carr Leroy Carr (March 27, 1904 or 1905 – April 29, 1935) was an American blues singer, songwriter and pianist who developed a laid-back, crooning technique and whose popularity and style influenced such artists as Nat King Cole and Ray Charles. Mus ...

, blues singer and pianist * Leroy Cooper, American astronaut * Leroy D'Sa (born 1953), Indian badminton player and coach *

LeRoy Edwards Leroy Harry Edwards (April 11, 1914 – August 25, 1971), nicknamed "Cowboy" and "Lefty", was one of the greatest basketball players of his era. He was an NCAA All-American at the University of Kentucky and also one of the most lauded professiona ...

, American professional basketball pioneer * "Baby Face" Leroy Foster, Chicago blues musician * Leroy George, Dutch footballer * Leroy Griffiths, professional footballer *

Leroy Grumman Leroy Randle "Roy" Grumman (4 January 1895 – 4 October 1982) was an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and industrialist. In 1929, he co-founded Grumman Aircraft Engineering Co., later renamed Grumman Aerospace Corporation, and now ...

, American aircraft designer and industrialist * LeRoy Hurd, American basketball player *

Leroy Jenkins (jazz musician) Leroy Jenkins (March 11, 1932 – February 24, 2007) was an American composer and violinist/violist. Early life Jenkins was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States. As a youth, he lived with his sister, his mother, two aunts, his grandmother, ...

, jazz musician * Leroy Jenkins (televangelist), American televangelist *

Leroy Jetta Leroy Jetta (born 6 July 1988) is an Australian rules footballer who last played with the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League. An outstanding junior, Jetta was twice named in the Under 18 All-Australian Team as well as bein ...

, professional Australian rules footballer * Leroy S. Johnson, leader of the polygamist denomination of FLDS * Leroy Lita, Congolese-born English footballer * Leroy Nash, American criminal *

LeRoy Neiman LeRoy Neiman (born LeRoy Leslie Runquist, June 8, 1921 – June 20, 2012) was an American artist known for his brilliantly colored, expressionist paintings and screenprints of athletes, musicians, and sporting events. Early life Neiman was ...

, American artist * Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige, American professional baseball player * Leroy Rosenior, English footballer and coach *

Leroy Sané Leroy Aziz Sané (born 11 January 1996) is a German professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Bayern Munich and the German national team. Considered one of the best wingers in the world, Sané is known for his exceptional pace, ...

, German footballer *

Lee Roy Selmon Lee Roy Selmon (October 20, 1954 – September 4, 2011) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a defensive tackle ...

, former NFL football defensive lineman *

Leeroy Stagger Leeroy Stagger is a Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter based in Lethbridge, Alberta. He has released a number of albums of his own music, produced albums for several other musicians, and has toured around North America. Early life S ...

, Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter *

Leeroy Thornhill Leeroy Thornhill (born 8 October 1968) is a British electronic music artist and formerly a rave dancer and occasionally keyboardist for the British electronic group the Prodigy. Thornhill's live performances throughout the 1990s included his un ...

, British electronic music artist *

Leroy Van Dyke Leroy Frank Van Dyke (born October 4, 1929) is an American country music and honky-tonk singer and guitarist, best known for his hits "The Auctioneer" (1956) and "Walk On By (Leroy Van Dyke song), Walk on By" (1961). Biography Van Dyke was bor ...

, American singer * Leroy A. Wilson, American businessman *

Leroy Wright James Leroy Wright Sr. (May 6, 1938 – March 21, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. He played two seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1967–68 and 1968–69, winning the ABA Finals in 1968 as a memb ...

, American professional basketball player *

LeeRoy Yarbrough Lonnie "LeeRoy" Yarbrough (September 17, 1938 – December 7, 1984) was an American stock car racer. His best season was 1969 when he won seven races, tallied 21 finishes in the top-ten and earned $193,211 ($ when inflation is taken into account ...

, NASCAR racer

Surname

*Adolphe Leroy, French entrepreneur, co-founder of Leroy Merlin * Adrian Le Roy (c.1520–1598), French lutenist, guitarist, and composer * Adrien Leroy (born 1981), French chess player and poet * Ali LeRoi (born 1962), American television producer and writer * Alphonse Leroy (engraver) (1820–1902), French engraver * Alphonse Leroy (physician) (1742–1816), French physician and obstetrician * Amélie Claire Leroy (1851–1934), English writer, pen-name Esmè Stuart *

André Leroy André Leroy (born 30 August 1801 in Angers; died 23 July 1875) was a French botanist and nurseryman. Biography He was born into a large family of gardeners. He took over the management of the family farm, founded in 1780, in 1822.. When he died, ...

(1801–1875), French botanist *

Catherine Leroy Catherine Leroy (August 27, 1944 - July 8, 2006) was a France, French-born photojournalist and war photographer, whose stark images of battle illustrated the story of the Vietnam War in the pages of Life (magazine), ''Life'' magazine and other publ ...

(1945–2006), French war photojournalist * Charles-Georges Le Roy (1723–1789), French man of letters * Claude Le Roy (born 1948), a French football manager and former player * Edouard Le Roy (1870–1954), French philosopher * Edward Webster Le Roy (1874–1940), American politician and newspaper editor * Eugène Le Roy (1836–1907), French novelist * Jean-François Leroy (1729–1791), French architect * Jennifer LeRoy (born 1974), American model and actress * Jérôme Leroy (composer) (born 1981), French composer * Jérôme Leroy (footballer) (born 1974), French footballer * JT LeRoy, a literary persona created by American writer Laura Albert * Jules Leroy (1903–1979), French priest and researcher * Julien Le Roy (1686–1759), French clock- and watch-maker *

Julien-David Le Roy French engraver Julien-David Le Roy or Leroy (; 6 May 1724 in Paris – 28 January 1803 in Paris) was an 18th-century French architect and archaeologist, who engaged in a rivalry with Britons James Stuart and Nicholas Revett over who woul ...

(1724–1803), French architect and archaeologist, son of Julien * Laurent Leroy (born 1976), French footballer * Maxime Leroy (1873–1957), French jurist and social historian * Mervyn LeRoy (1900–1987), American actor and director * Oswald Leroy (born 1936), Belgian mathematician, acousto-optics theorist *

Nolwenn Leroy Nolwenn Le Magueresse (; born 28 September 1982), known by her stage name Nolwenn Leroy (), is a French singer-songwriter, musician and actress. Originally classically trained (violin and opera singing), she rose to fame after winning the second ...

(born 1982), French singer * Pierre Le Roy (1717–1785), French clockmaker, son of Julien * Pierre Le Roy de Boiseaumarié (1890–1967), French co-founder of the (INAO) * Robert LeRoy (1885–1946), American tennis player * Roland Leroy (born 1926), French politician *

William E. Le Roy William Edgar Le Roy (March 24, 1818 – December 10, 1888) was an officer in the United States Navy who served in the Mexican War, on the African Slave Trade Patrol, and in the American Civil War. He rose to the rank of rear admiral and late in ...

(1818–1888), United States Navy admiral *

Xavier Leroy Xavier or Xabier may refer to: Place * Xavier, Spain People * Xavier (surname) * Xavier (given name) * Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Catholic saint ** St. Francis Xavier (disambiguation) * St. Xavier (disambiguation) * Xavier (footballer, born ...

(born 1968), French computer scientist and programmer

Fictional characters

*" Bad, Bad Leroy Brown", protagonist of a song by Jim Croce *"Leroy Johnson", a character in the film ''Fame'', played by Gene Anthony Ray *"

Bring Back That Leroy Brown ''Sheer Heart Attack'' is the third studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 8 November 1974 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. Digressing from the progressive themes featured on ...

", subject of a song by Queen *Leroy

Encyclopedia Brown ''Encyclopedia Brown'' is a series of books featuring the adventures of boy detective Leroy Brown, nicknamed "Encyclopedia" for his intelligence and range of knowledge. The series of 29 children's novels was written (one co-written) by Donald ...

, the titular protagonist of the ''Encyclopedia Brown'' children's novels * Leroy (''Lilo & Stitch''), a character introduced in ''Leroy & Stitch'' * Leroy (''South Park''), a ''South Park'' character * Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a fictional character in the ''NCIS'' TV series * Leeroy Jenkins, ''World of Warcraft'' character * The fictional Leroy family in the TV show ''

Corner Gas ''Corner Gas'' is a Canadian television sitcom created by Brent Butt. The series ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009. Re-runs still air on CTV, CTV2, CTV Comedy Channel, Much, MTV, E! and are streaming on Crave and Amazon Prime. The seri ...

'': **Brent Herbert Leroy, one of the

main characters A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

in ''Corner Gas'', played by Brent Butt **Emma Leroy, one of the

in ''Corner Gas'', played by Janet Wright **Oscar Leroy, one of the

in ''Corner Gas'', played by Eric Peterson *Leroy, a junkyard dog in the DIC show,

The Catillac Cats The Catillac Cats is the name of a group of characters that starred in the secondary segment (officially billed ''Cats & Co.'' on the end credits) of the 1984 animated series of '' Heathcliff''. Most episodes revolve around Riff-Raff's get-rich-qui ...

References

{{given name, type=both English masculine given names Surnames of French origin French-language surnames

Given name

Surname

Fictional characters

See also

References