Roger
Roger was the 834th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 297 babies. Its best year was 1945, when it ranked 22nd; the most babies were born in 1953 (13,172). Over the last ten years it has moved down 255 places. More babies were named Roger in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning famous spear (Germanic) · Germanic, French
Say it RAH-jer /ˈrɑdʒər/
- Rank in 2025
- #834 boys, down 149 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 297boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 195313,172 babies
- Total since 1880
- 443,830babies recorded
What does the name Roger mean?
Roger comes through Old French Rogier from a Germanic name, hrōth, fame, plus gēr, spear: "famous spear," as DMNES and Wiktionary agree; Old English had the same name as Hrōthgār. DMNES lists Norman rulers of Sicily and English saints among its medieval bearers. Roger has been used in the US since 1880 and was most common in the early 1950s.
hruod (Old High German, “fame”)gēr (Old High German, “spear”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Rogelio, Rüdiger, Rodger, Hrothgar.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean warrior, names that mean fame.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Roger', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Roger' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Roger
The usual nicknames for Roger are Rog and Hodge.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rog | Traditional | — | — |
| Hodge | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Rogers go by each one.
Roger popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,688 since 1912.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #834 | 297 |
| 2020 | #685 | 375 |
| 2010 | #510 | 504 |
| 2000 | #372 | 703 |
| 1990 | #211 | 1,456 |
| 1980 | #134 | 2,072 |
| 1970 | #61 | 4,583 |
| 1960 | #47 | 9,041 |
| 1950 | #27 | 12,552 |
| 1940 | #26 | 7,598 |
| 1930 | #58 | 3,246 |
| 1920 | #103 | 1,691 |
| 1910 | #171 | 176 |
| 1900 | #221 | 81 |
| 1890 | #232 | 52 |
| 1880 | #348 | 25 |
How popular is Roger, counting every spelling?
Roger is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #777 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #834 for Roger on its own. Together these spellings went to 315 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roger | 297 | #834 | 1,712 |
| Rodger | 18 | #5,353 | 73 |
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 Roger?
297 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Roger (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Roger 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 28 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Roger.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Roger?
About 249,900 people born in the US named Roger are alive today, with a median age of 67; half are between 56 and 75. That makes Roger a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Roger by state
How common Roger was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wisconsin (1.6×). In 18 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Roger: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Roger, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Roger · Sibling names for Roger
Questions about the name Roger
What does Roger mean?
Roger means “famous spear (Germanic)” (Germanic, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Roger?
Roger was the 834th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 297 babies. Its best year was 1945, when it ranked 22nd; the most babies were born in 1953 (13,172). Over the last ten years it has moved down 255 places. More babies were named Roger in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Roger a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Roger in the US.
Where is Roger most popular?
In 2021–2025, Roger was most common in Wisconsin (0.32 per 1,000 boys), followed by Minnesota and Tennessee.