Etymology Map
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Guy

4 stages from Frankish to English.

Today it means a man; (plural) people of either sex

Where does the word "guy" come from? It comes from Frankish *Wido, passing through Old French and English before entering English (1840s).

1
Stage 1 of 4
*Wido
Frankish · ancient
"a personal name"
a Germanic personal name, Latinised as Guido, borne by Guido of Arezzo, who devised the musical staff around 1030
2
Stage 2 of 4
Gui
Old French · 1000s
"a personal name"
French turned the Germanic w- into gu-, as in guerre from werra; the Normans brought the name to England
3
Stage 3 of 4
Guy
English · 1605
"effigy of Guy Fawkes"
Guy Fawkes was caught guarding gunpowder under the House of Lords on 5 November 1605; effigies burnt on Bonfire Night were called 'guys'
4
Stage 4 of 4
guy
American English · 1840s
"a man, a person"
from a grotesquely dressed figure to any odd-looking person, then simply 'a man' in American usage
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Read the full story

Guy’s story begins in Frankish: *Wido meant “a personal name.” A Germanic personal name, Latinised as Guido, borne by Guido of Arezzo, who devised the musical staff around 1030. By 1000s, the word had taken hold in Old French as Gui. French turned the Germanic w- into gu-, as in guerre from werra; the Normans brought the name to England. From there it passed into English as Guy by 1605. Guy Fawkes was caught guarding gunpowder under the House of Lords on 5 November 1605; effigies burnt on Bonfire Night were called 'guys'. It reached English by 1840s as guy. From a grotesquely dressed figure to any odd-looking person, then simply 'a man' in American usage. Today, guy means a man; (plural) people of either sex.