Roger
Roger was given to 297 boys in 2025, #834 among boys’ names; 443,830 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 251,000 Americans named Roger and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (57% of everyone recorded); the median is 67 years old and half are between 55 and 75.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Roger by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Roger mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Roger is “a male given name from the Germanic languages.” Its etymology gives the sense “fame-spear” (*Hrōþigaizaz).
From Old French Rogier, from the Frankish equivalent of Old English Hrōþgār, from Proto-Germanic *Hrōþigaizaz (“fame-spear”). Compare also Rutger.
/ˈɹɑ.d͡ʒɚ/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Roger?
#834 among boys’ names, 2025
Roger fell from #579 in 2015 to #834 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.25 to 0.17 per 1,000.
13,200 babies in 1953, the peak
Roger peaked in 1953, when 13,200 babies were given it (13,172 boys, #31 among boys’ names). The 297 births of 2025 are 2% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 297 | #834 | 0.17 |
| 2024 | 341 | #749 | 0.20 |
| 2023 | 344 | #760 | 0.20 |
| 2022 | 342 | #750 | 0.20 |
| 2021 | 388 | #685 | 0.22 |
| 2020 | 375 | #685 | 0.22 |
| 2019 | 362 | #695 | 0.20 |
| 2018 | 413 | #637 | 0.23 |
| 2017 | 417 | #627 | 0.23 |
| 2016 | 409 | #645 | 0.22 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 481 | #579 | 0.25 |
| 2014 | 477 | #584 | 0.25 |
| 2013 | 476 | #556 | 0.25 |
| 2012 | 459 | #564 | 0.24 |
| 2011 | 477 | #536 | 0.25 |
| 2010 | 504 | #510 | 0.26 |
| 2009 | 550 | #497 | 0.28 |
| 2008 | 598 | #462 | 0.29 |
| 2007 | 582 | #468 | 0.28 |
| 2006 | 594 | #456 | 0.29 |
| 2005 | 644 | #417 | 0.32 |
| 2004 | 630 | #413 | 0.32 |
| 2003 | 664 | #394 | 0.34 |
| 2002 | 676 | #386 | 0.35 |
| 2001 | 719 | #369 | 0.37 |
| 2000 | 703 | #372 | 0.36 |
| 1999 | 730 | #358 | 0.38 |
| 1998 | 769 | #347 | 0.40 |
| 1997 | 804 | #327 | 0.43 |
| 1996 | 957 | #285 | 0.51 |
| 1995 | 1,001 | #278 | 0.53 |
| 1994 | 1,071 | #265 | 0.55 |
| 1993 | 1,132 | #253 | 0.58 |
| 1992 | 1,440 | #214 | 0.72 |
| 1991 | 1,294 | #231 | 0.64 |
| 1990 | 1,456 | #211 | 0.71 |
| 1989 | 1,477 | #196 | 0.74 |
| 1988 | 1,578 | #180 | 0.82 |
| 1987 | 1,559 | #176 | 0.84 |
| 1986 | 1,608 | #167 | 0.87 |
| 1985 | 1,706 | #160 | 0.92 |
| 1984 | 1,718 | #157 | 1.0 |
| 1983 | 1,870 | #144 | 1.0 |
| 1982 | 2,167 | #127 | 1.2 |
| 1981 | 2,244 | #120 | 1.3 |
| 1980 | 2,072 | #134 | 1.2 |
| 1979 | 2,024 | #132 | 1.2 |
| 1978 | 2,143 | #120 | 1.3 |
| 1977 | 2,313 | #114 | 1.4 |
| 1976 | 2,465 | #103 | 1.6 |
| 1975 | 2,617 | #97 | 1.7 |
| 1974 | 2,754 | #93 | 1.8 |
| 1973 | 3,155 | #84 | 2.0 |
| 1972 | 3,531 | #76 | 2.2 |
| 1971 | 4,129 | #71 | 2.3 |
| 1970 | 4,583 | #61 | 2.5 |
| 1969 | 4,905 | #59 | 2.7 |
| 1968 | 5,183 | #55 | 3.0 |
| 1967 | 5,723 | #53 | 3.3 |
| 1966 | 6,296 | #51 | 3.5 |
| 1965 | 6,429 | #49 | 3.5 |
| 1964 | 7,389 | #49 | 3.7 |
| 1963 | 7,743 | #53 | 3.8 |
| 1962 | 9,079 | #47 | 4.4 |
| 1961 | 9,652 | #47 | 4.5 |
| 1960 | 9,041 | #47 | 4.2 |
| 1959 | 8,794 | #47 | 4.1 |
| 1958 | 8,368 | #47 | 3.9 |
| 1957 | 9,866 | #42 | 4.6 |
| 1956 | 10,153 | #41 | 4.8 |
| 1955 | 10,979 | #37 | 5.3 |
| 1954 | 11,717 | #34 | 5.7 |
| 1953 | 13,172 | #31 | 6.7 |
| 1952 | 12,132 | #30 | 6.2 |
| 1951 | 12,425 | #29 | 6.6 |
| 1950 | 12,552 | #27 | 7.0 |
| 1949 | 12,821 | #25 | 7.2 |
| 1948 | 12,818 | #24 | 7.3 |
| 1947 | 12,760 | #25 | 7.0 |
| 1946 | 12,411 | #23 | 7.6 |
| 1945 | 10,571 | #22 | 7.9 |
| 1944 | 10,581 | #23 | 7.8 |
| 1943 | 10,773 | #24 | 7.5 |
| 1942 | 9,174 | #25 | 6.6 |
| 1941 | 8,095 | #25 | 6.6 |
| 1940 | 7,598 | #26 | 6.6 |
| 1939 | 7,155 | #28 | 6.5 |
| 1938 | 6,551 | #31 | 5.9 |
| 1937 | 5,713 | #36 | 5.4 |
| 1936 | 5,702 | #35 | 5.5 |
| 1935 | 5,152 | #36 | 4.9 |
| 1934 | 4,766 | #39 | 4.6 |
| 1933 | 3,917 | #48 | 4.0 |
| 1932 | 3,788 | #50 | 3.6 |
| 1931 | 3,625 | #53 | 3.5 |
| 1930 | 3,246 | #58 | 3.0 |
| 1929 | 2,928 | #64 | 2.7 |
| 1928 | 2,774 | #71 | 2.5 |
| 1927 | 2,408 | #84 | 2.1 |
| 1926 | 2,260 | #89 | 2.0 |
| 1925 | 2,099 | #90 | 1.9 |
| 1924 | 2,054 | #93 | 1.8 |
| 1923 | 1,888 | #95 | 1.7 |
| 1922 | 1,848 | #96 | 1.7 |
| 1921 | 1,803 | #99 | 1.6 |
| 1920 | 1,691 | #103 | 1.6 |
| 1919 | 1,298 | #124 | 1.3 |
| 1918 | 1,426 | #116 | 1.4 |
| 1917 | 1,249 | #119 | 1.3 |
| 1916 | 1,087 | #129 | 1.2 |
| 1915 | 1,086 | #124 | 1.3 |
| 1914 | 816 | #126 | 1.2 |
| 1913 | 565 | #138 | 1.1 |
| 1912 | 464 | #138 | 1.1 |
| 1911 | 241 | #139 | 1.1 |
| 1910 | 176 | #171 | 0.91 |
| 1909 | 128 | #180 | 0.78 |
| 1908 | 115 | #186 | 0.75 |
| 1907 | 127 | #170 | 0.86 |
| 1906 | 94 | #194 | 0.71 |
| 1905 | 73 | #225 | 0.55 |
| 1904 | 91 | #194 | 0.71 |
| 1903 | 86 | #188 | 0.72 |
| 1902 | 73 | #210 | 0.60 |
| 1901 | 60 | #227 | 0.56 |
| 1900 | 81 | #221 | 0.54 |
| 1899 | 67 | #199 | 0.63 |
| 1898 | 74 | #202 | 0.60 |
| 1897 | 58 | #230 | 0.51 |
| 1896 | 70 | #215 | 0.59 |
| 1895 | 69 | #207 | 0.59 |
| 1894 | 58 | #225 | 0.50 |
| 1893 | 49 | #254 | 0.44 |
| 1892 | 55 | #241 | 0.45 |
| 1891 | 55 | #217 | 0.54 |
| 1890 | 52 | #232 | 0.47 |
| 1889 | 49 | #232 | 0.44 |
| 1888 | 47 | #259 | 0.39 |
| 1887 | 39 | #259 | 0.38 |
| 1886 | 32 | #308 | 0.29 |
| 1885 | 27 | #331 | 0.25 |
| 1884 | 39 | #277 | 0.34 |
| 1883 | 23 | #355 | 0.22 |
| 1882 | 32 | #310 | 0.28 |
| 1881 | 29 | #305 | 0.29 |
| 1880 | 25 | #348 | 0.23 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Roger a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Roger has been given almost only to boys: 1,688 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Roger: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Roger, and how old are they?
251,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 57% of the 443,830 Americans ever recorded as Roger. The median Roger alive today is 67 years old; half are between 55 and 75.
The 2020 Census counted 294,726 people named Roger (339 women and girls, 294,387 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 289,628 born in the U.S. The Census count is 2% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 28,300 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 132,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 52,800 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 23,100 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 9,930 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 5,080 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Roger born?
The states with the most babies named Roger are Ohio, California and New York, with 19% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 28,556 | #925 | 1.2× |
| California | 27,191 | #774 | 0.8× |
| New York | 26,278 | #980 | 0.7× |
| Illinois | 24,866 | #860 | 1.0× |
| Michigan | 21,911 | #635 | 1.1× |
| Texas | 20,433 | #840 | 0.8× |
| Minnesota | 16,269 | #911 | 1.7× |
| Wisconsin | 15,410 | #864 | 1.5× |
| Pennsylvania | 14,450 | #569 | 0.5× |
| North Carolina | 13,965 | #616 | 1.1× |
Where Roger is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Roger is most over-represented in West Virginia: since 1910 it was given 2.0 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Roger with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Roger
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Roger and names like it
- Compare Roger and RodgerBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sRoger peaked in 1953.
- Ohio’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Roger since 1910.
- Germanic namesWiktionary’s origin for Roger: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1953The year the most babies were named Roger.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Roger alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with RMost given first.