Gilderoi as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Gilderoi

What is the meaning of the name Gilderoi ?

The baby name Gilderoi is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈɡɪldəˌrɔɪ/ (GIL-duh-roy).

Gilderoi is Scottish Gaelic in Origin.

Gilderoi traces to Scottish and Irish Gaelic Giolla Ruaidh (also Gille Ruadh), literally "red-haired lad/servant." In Scots, ruaidh regularly becomes Roy, and the prefixed gille "youth, follower" yields the anglicized compound Gilderoy. A popular folk explanation reads it as "gilded/golden king" (gild + roi), but linguists favor the Gaelic derivation.

Attested since the 17th century in British and Irish broadside ballads about the outlaw Gilderoy, the name functioned more as a nickname or epithet than a baptismal name. It remains rare as a given name, though the Harry Potter character Gilderoy Lockhart renewed awareness. Variants and related forms include Gilderoy (standard), Gilderoi (modern spelling), Gilroy and McElroy (from the same Gaelic root), and Roy. Meaning: "red-haired youth; follower of the red(-haired) one."

⚙ We can't find Gilderoi in any of the birth registries or name datasets we track. That's typically a sign of a rare name, a regional or traditional one, or a modern coinage. Either way, it remains a genuinely rare choice.