Toy

Toy is a Chinese, English, and Turkish surname. Origins As an English surname, Toy originated in two or three different ways. First, it was a nickname, either from Middle English "trifling thing; play, sport", or from Middle French "sheath". Second, it was a relational name, from the given name Toye (whose origin is not clear). Finally, it may have been a toponymic surname referring to a former settlement probably located in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Early records of the English surname Toy include a Robert Toy of Gainford in the patent rolls for 1339. As a Chinese surname, Toy is a spelling, based on the pronunciation in different varieties of Chinese, of the following Chinese surnames, listed by their spelling in Hanyu Pinyin, which reflects the Standard Mandarin pronunciation: Cài, spelled Toy based on its Taishanese pronunciation. This is a toponymic surname referring to the state of Cai, adopted as a surname by some people of the state after its conquest by the state of Chu during China's Warring States period. Tái, spelled Toy based on its mainstream Cantonese pronunciation. According to the Shuowen Jiezi, the surname Tái originated as a toponymic surname referring to the city by the same name in modern-day Shaanxi. Toy is also a Turkish surname, from "bustard".