Meaning & Origin
A surname.
Toy is a boy's and girl's baby name of Old English origin, possibly derived from the Middle English surname Toye, or used as a playful, affectionate nickname name in the late 19th century. In Chinese names, Toy (a romanization of Cantonese) also appeared as a given name for Chinese-American children.
Most common in the American South and in Chinese-American communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Toy carries the unguarded, affectionate charm of a nickname permanently embraced — the kind of name that sounds like it was given with pure, uncomplicated love.