Loy

1. German (south and Rhineland) and Dutch: from a reduced form of the medieval personal name Eloy (Latin Eligius, a derivative of eligere ‘to choose or elect’), popularized a 6th-century saint who came to be venerated as the patron of smiths and horses.

2. German: habitational name from Loy in Oldenburg.

3. Dutch: variant of Lowy.

4. Italian (Sardinian): from the personal name Loi, a short form of Balloi, a pet form of Salvatóre.

5. Spanish and Italian: possibly from a reduced form of the personal name Eloy (see 1 above), of which the Italian form is Eligio.

6. French (Picardy): nickname for someone who was quick to have recourse to the law: a frequent or vexatious litigant, or perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a lawyer.

See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.