Choy
A surname found in several East and Southeast Asian traditions, most commonly as a romanization of Chinese names.
The #6,467 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 58,764 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Choy is most often a romanization of a Chinese surname, especially forms written from Cantonese or other southern Chinese pronunciations. In Chinese contexts it can represent characters whose meanings vary by family line, so the surname’s literal sense depends on the specific Chinese character behind it. In other traditions, Choy may also appear as a variant spelling of surnames that were reshaped in migration and English-language records.
History
In the United States, Choy is best known as a Chinese or Chinese diasporic surname and is especially associated with Cantonese-speaking immigration. The spelling reflects older romanization practices rather than a single fixed origin, so unrelated families may share the same English form. It also appears more rarely in other communities where similar-sounding surnames were adapted into English spelling.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because Choy can stand for different Chinese characters, two families with the same English spelling may have completely different ancestral lines.