Troy peaked in 1970, the same year as the Vietnam War's peak U.S. casualties and Kent State. That cohort of Troys is now in their mid-50s. The name has a specific generational identity, which means it's exactly on the edge of the long naming cycle that could bring it back.
The City, the Myth, the Name
Troy's origin in English naming comes from the ancient city of Troy (Ilion in Greek), site of the Trojan War as narrated in Homer's Iliad. The city's name came via the French form Troie, which entered English naming as a given name in the 19th century. Troy also has a separate Irish connection: an anglicization of the Irish surname Troigheach. In American naming, the classical Greek reference dominates. SSA data: 215,736 total bearers, 1970 peak, current rank #531.
The Athletic Association
Troy Aikman, three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s, is probably the most famous American bearer of the name in the past half century. Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers added another Hall of Fame bearer. The name has an undeniable sports-world identity in American culture: strong, direct, no-nonsense.
Where Troy Sits in the Cycle
Troy hasn't started climbing yet the way that similarly-positioned names like Roy have. It's still in the name-of-your-dad zone. But that's exactly where names are when they're a few years from revival. The 1970s naming cohort is approaching the window where grandchild-naming becomes plausible. Troy's phonetics — one syllable, clear consonants, open vowel — are as clean now as they were then, and that structural soundness always matters when a name cycles back. Homer's city has survived 3,000 years; the name should manage another decade or two without difficulty.