Contents [hide]

Guy History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Sources

Guy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Etymology of Guy

What does the name Guy mean?

Noble surnames, such as Guy, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the French people. The original bearer of the name Guy, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Picardy. In France, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate.The Guy family originally lived at De Guy, a village in the province of Picardy.

Early Origins of the Guy family

The surname Guy was first found in Picardy (French: Picardie) in northern France, where this distinguished family held a family seat at De Guy a village in the department of l'Oise in l'Yonne. One of the first on record was the Duke de Spolèt whose name was Guy, in the year 894.

Early History of the Guy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guy research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1147, 1351, 1717 and 1789 are included under the topic Early Guy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guy Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Guy, Guye, De Guy and others.

Early Notables of the Guy family

Notable amongst the family name at this period was

Sir Guy de Rochefort, French knight who fought at the Combat of the Thirty, March 26th 1351

Guy World Ranking

In the United States, the name Guy is the 876^th most popular surname with an estimated 34,818 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Guy is ranked the 921^st most popular surname with an estimated 5,863 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Guy is the 719^th popular surname. 3 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Guy as 300^th with 151 people. 4 France ranks Guy as 429^th with 9,958 people. 5 Australia ranks Guy as 570^th with 6,756 people. 6 New Zealand ranks Guy as 554^th with 1,272 people. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Guy as 605^th with 10,818 people. 8

Guy migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Guy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Guy, aged 22, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Swan" 9
Edwin Guy, who settled in New Hampshire in 1620
James Guy, aged 20, who landed in Virginia in 1622 aboard the ship "Mary Gold" 9
Whitney Guy, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 9
Mary Guy, who settled in Nantasket in 1630
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Guy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Guy, who landed in New York in 1705 9

Guy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael Guy, who landed in New York in 1825 9
Letitia Guy, aged 30, who arrived in New York, NY in 1834 9
Thomas Guy, who landed in Mississippi in 1847 9
Samuel Guy, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1868 9

Guy Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Neil Guy, who arrived in Arkansas in 1904 9

Guy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Guy Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Jean Guy, who arrived in Quebec in 1667
Mr. Jean Guy, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 9th June 1667 10
Jean Guy, who settled in Quebec in 1671 from Aunis on the west coast of France near Bordeaux
Jean Guy, son of Jean and Jeanne, who married Marie Levreau, daughter of Simon and Suzanne, in Sainte-Famille, Quebec on 7th January 1671 11

Guy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Antoine and François (1722), and Pierre-Theodore Guy (1726), who settled in Quebec from Ile-de-France
Antoine Guy, son of Antoine and Renée, who married Agnès Picard, daughter of François and Marie, in Montreal, Quebec on 13th April 1722 11
François Guy, son of Nicolas and Élisabeth, who married Marie-Josephte Faille, daughter of Claude and Jeanne, in Montreal, Quebec on 9th June 1722 11
Pierre-Théodore Guy, son of Nicolas and Élisabeth, who married Élisabeth Gareau, daughter of Pierre and Marie, in Montreal, Quebec on 18th November 1725 11
Jean-Baptiste Guy, son of Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Jeanne, who married Madeleine Bouchard, daughter of Joseph and Marie-Madeleine, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Quebec on 24th November 1751 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Guy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Hannah Guy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1822
Biddy Guy, aged 17, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
Ellen Guy, aged 32, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
Elenor Guy, aged 30, who landed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833
Maryann Guy, aged 20, who arrived in Quebec in 1834

Guy migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Guy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Guy, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Cleveland" in 1839 12
Joseph Guy, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Dorset" in 1839 13
Mr. Thomas Guy, (b. 1780), aged 60, British Brass Founder who was convicted in Stafford, England for 10 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Asia" on 25th April 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1857 14
Mr. Charles Guy, (White, Edward), English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 15
Sarah Guy, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Angelina" on April 25, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Guy migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Guy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Matthew Guy, (b. 1815), aged 47, Irish farm labourer, from Armagh travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 17
Mrs. Sarah Guy, (b. 1815), aged 47, Irish settler, from Armagh travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 17
Miss Elizabeth Guy, (b. 1838), aged 24, Irish domestic servant, from Armagh travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 17
Miss Maria Guy, (b. 1841), aged 21, Irish domestic servant, from Armagh travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 17
Miss Margaret Guy, (b. 1844), aged 18, Irish domestic servant, from Armagh travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 17
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Guy migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 18

Guy Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Miss Alice Guy, (b. 1615), aged 20, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Barbados in 1635 19

Contemporary Notables of the name Guy (post 1700) +

Ray Guy (1949-2022), born William Ray Guy, an American NFL punter for the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders from Swainsboro, Georgia, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014
Betty Guy (1920-2016), American watercolor landscape artist
Jean Guy (1923-2013), American First Lady of North Dakota (1961–1973)
William Lewis Guy (1919-2013), American politician, 26th Governor of the North Dakota (1961 to 1973)
George "Buddy" Guy (b. 1936), American blues guitarist and singer, ranked 30th in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time"
Billy Guy (1936-2002), American singer, best known as a member of The Coasters
Jasmine Guy (b. 1964), American actress, singer and dancer
Michel Guy, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 20
James George Guy (b. 1995), English competitive swimmer, two time gold winner at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, silver at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. A further gold in the 2019 World Aquatics Championships and two gold medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, gold medalist winner at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Richard Kenneth Guy (1916-2020), British mathematician and professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Calgary
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Guy family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Laurence A Guy, British Electrical Artificer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 21

HMS Royal Oak

Robert Guy (1921-1939), British Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 22

RMS Titanic

Mr. Edward John Guy, aged 28, English Boots from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 5 23

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CLEVELAND 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Cleveland.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DORSET 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Dorset.gif
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1840
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Angelina voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 171 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/angelina/1844
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 9) Michel Guy. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html