Rocco
Rocco was the 459th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 679 babies. Its best year was 1922, when it ranked 283rd; the most babies were born in 2009 (785). Over the last ten years it has moved up 4 places. More babies were named Rocco in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Italian, Germanic
Say it ROK-oh /ˈrɑkoʊ/
- Rank in 2025
- #459 boys, up 33 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 679boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2009785 babies
- Total since 1880
- 31,684babies recorded
What does the name Rocco mean?
Rocco is the Italian form of Roch, a 14th-century French saint who cared for plague victims and became a patron against plague. Wiktionary says the name is of Germanic origin but its meaning is obscure; suggested sources include Old High German words for "crow", "rest" and "to roar". It is common in Italian families and was brought to the US by Italian immigrants.
Roch (French, “saint's name (meaning obscure)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Wiktionary calls the meaning obscure.
Related names: Roch, Rocky, Roque.
See also: Germanic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Rocco', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
Nicknames for Rocco
The usual nicknames for Rocco are Rocky. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Rocco in the last five years, 57 were named Rocky, against 49 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky | Traditional | #568 | 1,736 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Roccos go by each one.
Rocco popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 5 since 1984.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #459 | 679 |
| 2020 | #492 | 596 |
| 2010 | #392 | 725 |
| 2000 | #1,171 | 118 |
| 1990 | #873 | 139 |
| 1980 | #711 | 150 |
| 1970 | #702 | 141 |
| 1960 | #517 | 236 |
| 1950 | #503 | 177 |
| 1940 | #527 | 123 |
| 1930 | #372 | 238 |
| 1920 | #292 | 372 |
| 1910 | #381 | 47 |
| 1900 | #777 | 12 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Rocco, counting every spelling?
Rocco is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #449 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #459 for Rocco on its own. Together these spellings went to 696 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocco | 679 | #459 | 3,047 |
| Rocko | 17 | #5,567 | 77 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Rocco?
679 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Rocco (0.19 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Rocco born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 12 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Rocco.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Rocco?
About 22,000 people born in the US named Rocco are alive today, with a median age of 18; half are between 10 and 43. That makes Rocco mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Rocco by state
How common Rocco was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Connecticut (3.9×), New Jersey (3.7×), New York (2.8×), Pennsylvania (2.7×), Massachusetts (2.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Oklahoma, Kentucky, Georgia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Rocco: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Rocco, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Rocco · Sibling names for Rocco
Questions about the name Rocco
What does Rocco mean?
The origin of Rocco is uncertain: Wiktionary calls the meaning obscure.
How popular is the name Rocco?
Rocco was the 459th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 679 babies. Its best year was 1922, when it ranked 283rd; the most babies were born in 2009 (785). Over the last ten years it has moved up 4 places. More babies were named Rocco in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Rocco a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Rocco in the US.
Where is Rocco most popular?
In 2021–2025, Rocco was most common in Connecticut (1.36 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Jersey and New York.