# Guy (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/guy/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 28,852 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,227 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 10,701 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.3% (27,934 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ɡaɪ/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Old French Gui, from a Frankish form of Proto-West Germanic *Widō (compare Old Dutch Wido), a short form of names beginning with the element *widu (“wood”), from Proto-Germanic *widuz; see for example modern German Witold and Old Saxon Widukind. Cognate with Italian Guido and thus a doublet of Guido. More at wood.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Guy in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 68% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 25% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.0% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.4% |
| Two or more races | 2.3% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Guy in the United States and the United Kingdom.

## People named Guy

- Buddy Guy, American blues guitarist and singer
- Jasmine Guy, American actress (born 1962)
- William L. Guy, American politician (1919–2013)
- Ray Guy, American football player (1949–2022)
- Ryan Guy, association football player
- Fred Guy, American musician (1897–1971)
- Barry Guy, British composer and jazz musician (born 1947)
- James Best, American actor, musician, artist (1926-2015)
- Ace Steel, American professional wrestler
- Shawnna, American rapper

## Similar surnames

Guo, Gu, Guay, Gue, Gueye, Gay, Gee, Gao, Go, Gioia, Ge, Gow.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.