Roman
Roman was given to 6,162 boys in 2025, #42 among boys’ names; 105,131 Americans have been recorded with it since 1882 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 96,300 Americans named Roman and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (92% of everyone recorded); the median is 11 years old and half are between 5 and 20.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Roman by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Roman mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Roman is “a male given name from Latin recently borrowed from continental Europe.”
From Old French Romain, from Latin Rōmānus. By surface analysis, Rom(e) + -an. Doublet of Romano. Displaced native Romish.
In reference to the Byzantine Empire, via the Byzantine Greek endonym Ῥωμαῖος (Rhōmaîos).
/ˈɹoʊ.mən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Roman?
#42 among boys’ names, 2025
Roman rose from #102 in 2015 to #42 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 2.0 to 3.6 per 1,000.
6,185 babies in 2025, the peak
Roman peaked in 2025, when 6,185 babies were given it (6,162 boys, #42 among boys’ names). In 2024 it went to 5,502 boys.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6,162 | #42 | 3.6 |
| 2024 | 5,502 | #52 | 3.2 |
| 2023 | 4,803 | #66 | 2.8 |
| 2022 | 4,740 | #68 | 2.7 |
| 2021 | 4,571 | #74 | 2.6 |
| 2020 | 4,491 | #77 | 2.6 |
| 2019 | 4,919 | #72 | 2.7 |
| 2018 | 4,390 | #86 | 2.4 |
| 2017 | 4,282 | #91 | 2.3 |
| 2016 | 4,222 | #98 | 2.2 |
Every recorded year (142)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3,889 | #102 | 2.0 |
| 2014 | 3,481 | #113 | 1.8 |
| 2013 | 2,886 | #136 | 1.5 |
| 2012 | 2,577 | #159 | 1.4 |
| 2011 | 2,466 | #158 | 1.3 |
| 2010 | 1,993 | #186 | 1.0 |
| 2009 | 1,837 | #206 | 0.93 |
| 2008 | 1,933 | #205 | 0.95 |
| 2007 | 1,891 | #207 | 0.91 |
| 2006 | 1,819 | #209 | 0.89 |
| 2005 | 1,867 | #205 | 0.93 |
| 2004 | 1,398 | #238 | 0.70 |
| 2003 | 1,049 | #294 | 0.53 |
| 2002 | 1,045 | #284 | 0.54 |
| 2001 | 985 | #297 | 0.51 |
| 2000 | 906 | #317 | 0.46 |
| 1999 | 787 | #337 | 0.41 |
| 1998 | 806 | #337 | 0.42 |
| 1997 | 739 | #347 | 0.39 |
| 1996 | 672 | #361 | 0.35 |
| 1995 | 649 | #368 | 0.34 |
| 1994 | 623 | #377 | 0.32 |
| 1993 | 661 | #359 | 0.34 |
| 1992 | 626 | #371 | 0.31 |
| 1991 | 601 | #378 | 0.30 |
| 1990 | 623 | #374 | 0.30 |
| 1989 | 572 | #385 | 0.29 |
| 1988 | 507 | #391 | 0.26 |
| 1987 | 404 | #444 | 0.22 |
| 1986 | 390 | #435 | 0.21 |
| 1985 | 363 | #451 | 0.20 |
| 1984 | 410 | #407 | 0.23 |
| 1983 | 386 | #415 | 0.22 |
| 1982 | 371 | #436 | 0.20 |
| 1981 | 286 | #495 | 0.16 |
| 1980 | 258 | #535 | 0.14 |
| 1979 | 285 | #493 | 0.17 |
| 1978 | 260 | #503 | 0.16 |
| 1977 | 293 | #471 | 0.18 |
| 1976 | 318 | #437 | 0.20 |
| 1975 | 350 | #415 | 0.22 |
| 1974 | 349 | #419 | 0.22 |
| 1973 | 364 | #409 | 0.23 |
| 1972 | 360 | #419 | 0.22 |
| 1971 | 391 | #408 | 0.22 |
| 1970 | 376 | #423 | 0.20 |
| 1969 | 247 | #491 | 0.14 |
| 1968 | 216 | #513 | 0.12 |
| 1967 | 154 | #602 | 0.09 |
| 1966 | 153 | #602 | 0.09 |
| 1965 | 184 | #563 | 0.10 |
| 1964 | 182 | #588 | 0.09 |
| 1963 | 182 | #585 | 0.09 |
| 1962 | 190 | #569 | 0.09 |
| 1961 | 149 | #642 | 0.07 |
| 1960 | 140 | #663 | 0.07 |
| 1959 | 155 | #620 | 0.07 |
| 1958 | 174 | #587 | 0.08 |
| 1957 | 167 | #594 | 0.08 |
| 1956 | 178 | #568 | 0.08 |
| 1955 | 156 | #588 | 0.08 |
| 1954 | 174 | #553 | 0.09 |
| 1953 | 184 | #522 | 0.09 |
| 1952 | 154 | #565 | 0.08 |
| 1951 | 156 | #543 | 0.08 |
| 1950 | 148 | #555 | 0.08 |
| 1949 | 144 | #564 | 0.08 |
| 1948 | 117 | #627 | 0.07 |
| 1947 | 118 | #636 | 0.06 |
| 1946 | 92 | #675 | 0.06 |
| 1945 | 93 | #627 | 0.07 |
| 1944 | 90 | #657 | 0.07 |
| 1943 | 122 | #574 | 0.09 |
| 1942 | 116 | #579 | 0.08 |
| 1941 | 99 | #601 | 0.08 |
| 1940 | 124 | #523 | 0.11 |
| 1939 | 93 | #604 | 0.08 |
| 1938 | 106 | #570 | 0.10 |
| 1937 | 87 | #629 | 0.08 |
| 1936 | 117 | #528 | 0.11 |
| 1935 | 106 | #561 | 0.10 |
| 1934 | 135 | #494 | 0.13 |
| 1933 | 130 | #492 | 0.13 |
| 1932 | 166 | #436 | 0.16 |
| 1931 | 184 | #416 | 0.18 |
| 1930 | 165 | #462 | 0.15 |
| 1929 | 187 | #432 | 0.17 |
| 1928 | 220 | #405 | 0.20 |
| 1927 | 235 | #389 | 0.21 |
| 1926 | 223 | #398 | 0.20 |
| 1925 | 224 | #400 | 0.20 |
| 1924 | 247 | #381 | 0.22 |
| 1923 | 256 | #373 | 0.23 |
| 1922 | 255 | #377 | 0.23 |
| 1921 | 257 | #379 | 0.23 |
| 1920 | 248 | #379 | 0.23 |
| 1919 | 258 | #358 | 0.26 |
| 1918 | 269 | #354 | 0.27 |
| 1917 | 256 | #349 | 0.28 |
| 1916 | 265 | #326 | 0.30 |
| 1915 | 234 | #350 | 0.28 |
| 1914 | 191 | #335 | 0.29 |
| 1913 | 134 | #361 | 0.26 |
| 1912 | 86 | #423 | 0.20 |
| 1911 | 57 | #370 | 0.25 |
| 1910 | 44 | #405 | 0.23 |
| 1909 | 33 | #446 | 0.20 |
| 1908 | 39 | #373 | 0.25 |
| 1907 | 31 | #415 | 0.21 |
| 1906 | 29 | #407 | 0.22 |
| 1905 | 31 | #379 | 0.23 |
| 1904 | 23 | #449 | 0.18 |
| 1903 | 18 | #519 | 0.15 |
| 1902 | 23 | #436 | 0.19 |
| 1901 | 18 | #463 | 0.17 |
| 1900 | 20 | #549 | 0.13 |
| 1899 | 21 | #412 | 0.20 |
| 1898 | 22 | #431 | 0.18 |
| 1897 | 19 | #456 | 0.17 |
| 1896 | 15 | #549 | 0.13 |
| 1895 | 19 | #473 | 0.16 |
| 1894 | 10 | #716 | 0.09 |
| 1893 | 9 | #755 | 0.08 |
| 1891 | 10 | #628 | 0.10 |
| 1890 | 10 | #662 | 0.09 |
| 1889 | 13 | #546 | 0.12 |
| 1888 | 14 | #551 | 0.12 |
| 1887 | 16 | #436 | 0.16 |
| 1886 | 9 | #684 | 0.08 |
| 1885 | 7 | #823 | 0.06 |
| 1883 | 10 | #634 | 0.10 |
| 1882 | 7 | #821 | 0.06 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Roman a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Roman has been given almost only to boys: 478 girls in 142 years of records.
Girls and boys named Roman: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Roman, and how old are they?
96,300 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 92% of the 105,131 Americans ever recorded as Roman. The median Roman alive today is 11 years old; half are between 5 and 20.
The 2020 Census counted 79,669 people named Roman (903 women and girls, 78,766 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 68,255 born in the U.S. The Census count is 17% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 382 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 1,990 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 4,070 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 7,820 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 23,800 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 58,200 |
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 Roman born?
The states with the most babies named Roman are California, Texas and Florida, with 31% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 874 | #27 | 1.4× |
| Texas | 656 | #48 | 1.2× |
| Florida | 390 | #44 | 0.9× |
| New York | 274 | #61 | 0.7× |
| Pennsylvania | 262 | #34 | 1.0× |
| Ohio | 255 | #33 | 0.9× |
| Michigan | 211 | #26 | 1.0× |
| North Carolina | 200 | #48 | 0.7× |
| Illinois | 197 | #48 | 0.9× |
| Tennessee | 154 | #40 | 0.7× |
Where Roman is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Roman is most over-represented in New Mexico: since 1910 it was given 1.5 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 Roman with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 6 names spelled alike, given to 106,876 babies since 1880, Roman is the most given (98% of them). In 2025 it was given to 6,185 of their 6,235 babies (99%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Roman
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 Roman and names like it
- Compare Roman and RomainBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2020sRoman peaked in 2025.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Roman since 1910.
- Latin namesWiktionary’s origin for Roman: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2025The year the most babies were named Roman.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Roman alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with RMost given first.