Guy

See also: Appendix:Variations of "guy"

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡaɪ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪ

Etymology 1

PIE word
*dwóh₁

From Old French Gui, a form of Proto-Germanic *Wido, a short form of names beginning with the element *widuz (“wood”), such as Witold and Widukind. Cognate with Italian Guido and thus a doublet of Guido. More at wood.

Proper noun

Guy (plural Guys)

1. A male given name from the Germanic languages.
   • 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iv]:

     I am not Samson, nor Sir Guy, nor Colbrand,
     To mow 'em down before me;

   • 1990, Ruth Rendell, Going Wrong, →ISBN, page 157:

     "Guy," he said. He said it slowly and with a certain puzzlement. He said it again, thoughtfully, as if it were a name of someone he had known long ago but couldn't quite place. "Guy. Yes - don't you find it difficult being called that? I mean, if Nora hadn't said, I'd have put you down as a Kevin, or a Barry. Yes, Barry would suit you."
     He looked like an innocent child, smiling, wide-eyed, his cheeks plump and rosy, defying the object of his insults to take offence. For they were insults, Guy was in no doubt about that. Leonora's brother was implying that his name was far too upper-class for its possessor.

   • 2016, Nathan Hill, The Nix: A novel, Vintage, →ISBN, page 596:

     “She was a new student. I was a counterculture hero. Back then I went by a different name. Sebastian. Sexy, right? And so much better than Guy. You can't be a counterculture hero and a Guy. That name is way too average. […]

   • 2025 May 21, Manisha Krishnan, “IVF Clinic Bombing Suspect Was Linked to ‘Anti-Life’ Ideology. Experts Fear Its Growing Influence”, in WIRED‎^[1], archived from the original on 21 May 2025:

     Authorities say Guy Bartkus, who was 25, set off an explosion in a car outside American Reproductive Centers, injuring five people and killing himself as well as causing extensive damage to the building in an act of terrorism.

2. A surname originating as a patronymic.
   • 2025 June 14, Christopher Mathias, “JD Vance threatened to deport him. The ‘menswear guy’ is posting through it”, in The Guardian‎^[2], →ISSN, archived from the original on 1 July 2025:

     Derek Guy was a relatively unknown menswear writer with 25,000 followers on Twitter in 2022.

Derived terms

• Guy and Pip

Related terms

• Wyatt

Translations

male given name

• Armenian: Գվիդոն (Gvidon), Գի (Gi)
• Catalan: Guiu (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 蓋伊 / 盖伊 (Gàiyī) (from English)

• Czech: Kvido
• Esperanto: Vito
• French: Guy (fr)
• Galician: Guido (gl)
• German: Veit (de)
• Hebrew: גאי, גַּיְא (he)
• Hungarian: Gujdó (hu), Vitold (hu)
• Italian: Guido (it)
• Latin: Guidus
• Latvian: Gvido m
• Lithuanian: Gvidas
• Polish: Gwido
• Portuguese: Guido (pt)
• Russian: Гай (ru) m (Gaj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Latin: Gvido, Vid (sh)

• Sicilian: Vitu m, Vita f
• Slovene: Gvido
• Spanish: Guido (es)
• Welsh: Guto m (etymologically unrelated)

Noun

Guy (plural Guys)

1. (British) An effigy of Guy Fawkes burned on Bonfire Night

Etymology 2

From the Hebrew name גַּיְא (gáy, literally “valley”), with the spelling influenced by the existing English name.

Proper noun

Guy

1. A male given name from Hebrew.
2. A surname.

Etymology 3

For places which could be from either etymology above.

Proper noun

Guy

1. A place in the United States:
   1. A minor city in Faulkner County, Arkansas.
   2. An unincorporated community in Liberty Township, Howard County, Indiana.
   3. An unincorporated community in Warren County, Kentucky.
   4. An unincorporated community in Fort Bend County, Texas.
2. A hamlet in the Municipal District of Smoky River, No. 130, Alberta, Canada.

Derived terms

• Guysborough

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Guy is the 1,227^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 28,852 individuals. Guy is most common among White (67.88%) and Black (24.98%) individuals.

Anagrams

• yug

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French Guy, from Old French Gui, from Old High German Wido, a short form of names beginning with the element Proto-Germanic *widuz (“wood”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡi/

Proper noun

Guy m

1. a male given name, equivalent to English Guy

Related terms

• Guillon
• Guion
• Guyon

Norman

Etymology

From Old French Gui, a form of Old High German Wido, a short form of names beginning with the element *widuz (“wood”), such as Witold and Widukind.

Proper noun

Guy m

1. a male given name, equivalent to English Guy

Related terms

• Guytounet