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Troy History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Sources

Troy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Ireland
England

Etymology of Troy

What does the name Troy mean?

Ireland already had an established system of hereditary surnames when the Strongbownians arrived. Often the two traditions blended together quite well due to some of their basic similarities, but the incoming Anglo-Norman system brought in some forms that were uncommon amongst the Irish. One of these Anglo-Norman anomalies was the prevalence of local surnames, such as Troy. Local names were taken from the names of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. Originally, the place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname if the place name began with a vowel or was eliminated entirely. The local surnames of these Strongbownian invaders referred to places in Normandy, or more typically England, but eventually for those Anglo-Normans that remained in Ireland, the nicknames referred to places or geographical features of the island: they became true local names. The Troy family appears to have originally lived in the town of Troyes in France; the original form of the surname Troy was de Troyes. The surname Troy belongs to the large category of Anglo-Norman habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Troy family

The surname Troy was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they were granted lands by Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, after his conquest of Ireland in 1172. They were recruited from the family of Try in Gloucester where they were Lords of the manor of Alkington. The family is said to be amongst the highest orders of French nobility.

Early History of the Troy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Troy research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1660, 1690, 1698, 1702, 1705, 1717, 1739 and 1823 are included under the topic Early Troy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Troy Spelling Variations

Names were simply spelled as they sounded by medieval scribes and church officials. Therefore, during the lifetime of a single person, his name was often spelt in many different ways, explaining the many spelling variations encountered while researching the name Troy. Some of these variations included: Troye, Troy, Try, Trye, Trohy, Trohey, Troys, Troyes, O'Trahy, O'Trahey, O'Trehy, O'Trehey and many more.

Early Notables of the Troy family

More information is included under the topic Early Troy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Troy Ranking

In the United States, the name Troy is the 4,348^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Troy is ranked the 6,872^nd most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2

Troy migration to the United States +

The Irish emigration during the late 18th and 19th century contributed to the melting pot of nationalities in North America, and the building of a whole new era of industry and commerce in what was seen as a rich, new land. Ireland'sGreat Potato Famine resulted in the worst economic and social conditions in the island's history. And in response to the hunger, disease, and poverty, during this decade the total number of emigrants to leave for North America rivaled all the previous years combined. Those from this decade that arrived on North American shores were not warmly welcomed by the established population, but they were vital to the rapid development of the industry, agriculture, and infrastructure of the infant nations of the United States and what would become Canada. Research into early immigration and passenger lists has shown many people bearing the name Troy:

Troy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Daniel, Edward, James, Jeremiah, John, Michael, Patrick, and William Troy all, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1770 and 1870

Troy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael Troy, aged 40, who arrived in New York in 1812 3
Patrick Troy, aged 23, who landed in America in 1822 3
John Troy, who landed in Mobile County, Ala in 1840 3
Counl Troy, aged 54, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1851 3
Reverend Edward Troy, who settled in Tor Bay in 1855
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Troy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Troy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Troy from County Tipperary settled in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1813 4
Mary Troy, who settled in Bonavista in 1813
Catherine Troy, who settled in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 1814
Edward Troy, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Levant Star" from Cork, Ireland
Ann Troy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1835
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Troy migration to Australia +

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

Troy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Troy, Irish convict who was convicted in Kings County, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Patrick Troy, Irish farm servant who was convicted in County Offlay (King's County), Ireland for 7 years for assault, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 5th November 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Timothy Troy, (b. 1826), aged 18, Irish labourer who was convicted in Ireland, Wexford for 7 years for vagrancy, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 9th April 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Johanna Troy, aged 19, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Elgin" 8
Johanna Troy, aged 19, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Elgin" in 1849 8

Troy 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:

Troy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Troy, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 9
Patrick Troy, aged 19, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874
Timothy Troy, aged 31, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
Mary Troy, aged 30, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
James Troy, aged 9, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Troy (post 1700) +

Guy Kent Troy (1923-2023), American modern pentathlete who competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Michael Francis "Mike" Troy (1940-2019), American competitive swimmer, a two-time Olympic champion
Tevi David Troy (b. 1967), the former Deputy Secretary of United States Department of Health and Human Services
John Weir Troy (1868-1942), American Democratic politician, Governor of Alaska Territory 1933 -1939
Gregg Troy (b. 1950), American college and Olympic swimming coach
Doris Troy (1937-2004), American R&B singer
Micah LeVar Troy (b. 1977), American rapper and record producer
John Thomas Troy (1739-1823), Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, born at Porterstown, a village near Dublin
Canon Bertie Troy (1931-2007), Irish Roman Catholic priest and an All-Ireland Hurling Final winning manager with Cork
John Troy (b. 1971), Irish Offaly GAA hurler and all-star
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ELGIN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Elgin.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html