Now that the word "guy" has become such widespread slang for "man," the name Guy has become much rarer. It comes from Old French (of Germanic origin) derived from a longer name which included the word witu "wood" or wit "wide." Over time the "g" and "w" became confused.
In early medieval French the name was Gy (pronounced GEE, as it still is in modern French) or Guido (occasionally Wido.) Several Norman barons had this name; there was a Crusader hero called Guy of Warwick, and the evil Sir Guy of Gisborne in the Robin Hood legends may be based on a real-life Norman baron. To modern Britons, the most famous Guy of all is probably still Guy Fawkes, executed in the early 17th century for his role in the Gunpowder Plot, and still burned in effigy every 5th November. Other famous Guys include the 19th century French author Guy de Maupassant.
In early medieval French the name was Gy (pronounced GEE, as it still is in modern French) or Guido (occasionally Wido.) Several Norman barons had this name; there was a Crusader hero called Guy of Warwick, and the evil Sir Guy of Gisborne in the Robin Hood legends may be based on a real-life Norman baron. To modern Britons, the most famous Guy of all is probably still Guy Fawkes, executed in the early 17th century for his role in the Gunpowder Plot, and still burned in effigy every 5th November. Other famous Guys include the 19th century French author Guy de Maupassant.
