Alroy: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Alroy is an Irish boy's name meaning “red-haired.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Red-haired
- Gender
- Boy
How do you pronounce Alroy?
Alroy is pronounced AL-roy. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Alroy mean?
Alroy is linked with the Irish rua (older ruadh), “red, red-haired,” through Irish surnames. Patrick Woulfe’s Irish Names and Surnames (1923) lists MacAlroy among the English forms of Mac Giolla Ruaidh, “son of the red youth,” alongside Gilroy, Kilroy, MacElroy and MacIlroy, and describes it as the name of a Fermanagh family based near Lough Erne.
As a first name Alroy is rare and its history is not well documented. The name also has an unrelated history: Alroy was the surname of David Alroy, a 12th-century Jewish messianic leader and the hero of Benjamin Disraeli’s 1833 novel Alroy.
Sources: Ó Dónaill's Irish dictionary (teanglann.ie), Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Wikipedia, Behind the Name.
How popular is Alroy in Ireland?
Alroy is rare in Ireland. Since 1964, fewer than three baby boys a year have been registered with the name, so it doesn't appear in the Central Statistics Office's baby name tables.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies’ Names 2025 and its boys' names table.
Alroy in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Alroy, letter by letter.
- AAilm, pine
- LLuis, rowan
- RRuis, elder
- OOnn, gorse
- IIodhadh, yew
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Alroy
Questions about Alroy
- How do you pronounce Alroy?
- Alroy is pronounced AL-roy. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- What does Alroy mean?
- Alroy means “red-haired.”
- Is Alroy a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Alroy is a boy's name.
- Is Alroy a rare name?
- Yes. Fewer than three boys a year are registered as Alroy in Ireland, too few to appear in the Central Statistics Office's tables.