Roman - Baby Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity

Boy name origins & meanings

Hebrew: Strong, powerful
Latin: Place name: Rome, Italy; from Rome
Italian: Pilgrim to Rome; romantic lover
Shakespearean: From Romeo and Juliet

What does the name Roman mean and stand for?

The name Roman has various origins, but the most commonly referred to one is the Hebrew origin which means "strong, powerful." Roman is also used to refer to people who descended from Rome. It derives from the Latin name Romanus. It may also have ties to ancient Germanic languages and French.

The name Roman can also be a variant of the name Romeo with Shakesperean ties to the play Romeo and Juliet.

Syllables: 2

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Boy name variations

Family name origins & meanings

Catalan, French, English, German (also Romann), Polish, Hungarian (Román), Romanian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian : from the Latin personal name Romanus, which originally meant ‘Roman’. This name was borne by several saints, including a 7th-century bishop of Rouen.
English, French, and Catalan : regional or ethnic name for someone from Rome or from Italy in general, or a nickname for someone who had some connection with Rome, as for example having been there on a pilgrimage. Compare Romero.

Famous people with this first name

Roman Polanski

Famous people who gave their babies this name

Popularity of the Name Roman

According to Social Security Administration data, Roman has rapidly been increasing in popularity since breaking the top 100 in 2017. For the past few years, Roman has been enjoying a spot in the top 80.

However, it is the 13th most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.

According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years, Roman was at its peak popularity in October 2018.

Roman was chosen as a name for the children of Cate Blanchett, Francis Ford Coppola, Molly Ringwald, and Debra Messing, which may be why it had a sudden boom in popularity in recent years. A romantic name, Roman invokes images of director Roman Polanski, Polish photographer Roman Vishniac, and onetime star quarterback Roman Gabriel. Other namesakes include Roman Atwood, Roman Mars, and Roman Yakub. Roman has also been chosen as a name for fictional characters in Get Out, Days of Our Lives, Scream 3, and Ocean's 11.