Rome
Rome was the 452nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 694 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 451st with 695 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 961 places. More babies were named Rome in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning the city of Rome (origin of the name unknown) · Latin, English
Say it ROHM /roʊm/
- Rank in 2025
- #452 boys, up 519 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 694boys
- Girls and boys
- 9% girls, 91% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2024695 babies
- Total since 1880
- 6,075babies recorded
What does the name Rome mean?
Rome is the English name of the Italian capital, used as a first name. Wiktionary traces it through Old English Rōm to Latin Roma. The deeper origin of Roma is uncertain. Roman legend said the city was named after its founder Romulus, but Wiktionary treats that as almost certainly a folk etymology; one proposal links Roma with an old name of the Tiber river from a root meaning "to flow." It has been an occasional American boys' name since the 19th century.
Rōma (Latin, “Rome”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The city name is ancient and its origin unknown; the Romulus story is legend.
Other explanations you may read: Named after Romulus, the city's legendary founder. This is a Roman founding legend, not an etymology..
Related names: Roma, Romeo, Romy.
See also: Latin names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Rome' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Roma' (Latin 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)
Rome popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,640 | #452 | 66 | 694 |
| 2020 | #4,426 | #971 | 31 | 222 |
| 2010 | #12,061 | #1,969 | 9 | 71 |
| 2000 | — | #4,035 | — | 20 |
| 1990 | — | #7,924 | — | 6 |
| 1980 | — | #7,080 | — | 5 |
| 1970 | — | #1,839 | — | 24 |
| 1960 | — | #2,514 | — | 12 |
| 1950 | — | #2,734 | — | 9 |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | #2,732 | — | 11 |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | #1,470 | — | 5 |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Rome, counting every spelling?
Rome is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #439 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #452 for Rome on its own. Together these spellings went to 724 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rome | 694 | #452 | 2,699 |
| Roam | 9 | #8,776 | 49 |
| Rhome | 21 | #4,830 | 39 |
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 Rome?
694 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Rome (0.19 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Rome 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 Rome.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Rome?
About 5,200 people born in the US named Rome are alive today, with a median age of 5; half are between 2 and 13. That makes Rome a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Rome by state
How common Rome was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (3.8×), Louisiana (2.1×), Nevada (2.0×), Arizona (2.0×), Idaho (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Rome: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Rome, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Rome · Sibling names for Rome
Questions about the name Rome
What does Rome mean?
Rome is usually explained as “the city of Rome (origin of the name unknown)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Rome?
Rome was the 452nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 694 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 451st with 695 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 961 places. More babies were named Rome in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Rome a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 9% girls, 91% boys given the name Rome in the US.
Where is Rome most popular?
In 2021–2025, Rome was most common in Utah (1.18 per 1,000 boys), followed by Hawaii and Louisiana.