Roman

maleLatin, widely used across Slavic and Germanic languages

From the Latin Romanus, meaning 'Roman' — borne by several early saints and medieval rulers of Bulgaria, Kyiv and Moldavia.

Origin: Latin, widely used across Slavic and Germanic languages

Official popularity data is available for 7 regions, from 1952 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #23 in England and Wales in 2021. See regions.

Roman: Recorded every year since 1952, it reached #23 in 2021, and it was still inside the top 100 in 2025.

7registrars recorded it
143times a registrar ranked it
74years from first to last
#23highest recorded position
26groupings it qualifies for
3names it appears alongside

What stands out in Roman's record

Ranked every year since 1952, without a single year missing. Names by continuity of record
England and Wales registered 1,923 births with the name in 2021, its largest count from any one registrar. Names by yearly birth count

ROH-mahn/ˈro.man/

Compare Roman Run Name Checker on Roman

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)

Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (7) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin: Latin, widely used across Slavic and Germanic languages
Meaning: From the Latin Romanus, meaning 'Roman' — borne by several early saints and medieval rulers of Bulgaria, Kyiv and Moldavia.
Pronunciation: ROH-mahn
Syllables: 2
Common nicknames: None recorded
Classification: Traditional & modern
Gender usage: male
Language family: Latin, widely used across Slavic and Germanic languages

Popularity

Region

Trend unknown

among girls in England and Wales · 2016

View as table

England and Wales · Girls rank by year
Year	Rank
2016	#4763

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

Trend unknownEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among boys in Norway in 58 of the 74 years from 1952 to 2025.

In 2025: #27 among boys in England and Wales, #50 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, #179 among boys in Republic of Ireland, #438 among boys in Norway.

Official data from 7 national registrars across 7 regions, 1952–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1952
First recorded at #333 among boys in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #27 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys

Roman appears in 6 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Norway · Boys, which has ranked it in 58 years beginning in 1952, and has registered 794 births with the name.

Roman across 6 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Roman's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Norway · Boys	#333 (1952)	#196 (1965)	#438 (2025)	58 of 74	794 (1952–2025)	33 (1979)
England and Wales · Boys	#605 (1996)	#23 (2021)	#27 (2025)	30 of 30	18,029 (1996–2025)	1,923 (2021)
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#409 (2001)	#134 (2024)	#179 (2025)	22 of 25	338 (2001–2025)	42 (2022)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#291 (2008)	#108 (2024)	#108 (2024)	13 of 17	134 (2008–2024)	21 (2024)
New Zealand · Boys	#93 (2009)	#43 (2022)	#63 (2023)	13 of 15	853 (2009–2023)	87 (2022)
New South Wales, Australia · Boys	#84 (2021)	#50 (2025)	#50 (2025)	5 of 5	646 (2021–2025)	145 (2022)

Roman by decade in Norway · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Roman in Norway · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1950s	78	8 of 10	10
1960s	171	10 of 10	17
1970sbusiest	232	10 of 10	23
1980s	185	10 of 10	19
1990s	58	8 of 10	7
2000s	22	4 of 10	6
2010s	32	5 of 10	6
2020s	16	3 of 10	5

Across Norway · Boys, the 1970s were its busiest decade, averaging 23 births a year.

See the names Norwayhas recorded the most births with →

Roman appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

What the record shows

Recorded by 7 registrars between 1952 and 2025, ranked in 74 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #23, first reached in 2021.

It held a top-100 place in 15 years, 13 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 1,923 births, registered in England and Wales in 2021.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1996, and 72 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Roman was ranked #23 in England and Wales · Boys in 2021. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Finley#19
Arlo#20
William#21
Lucas#22
Tommy#24
Isaac#25
Teddy#26
Alexander#27

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Romaine · #2070, 19y
Romaisa · #1749, 21y
Roman-James · #1448, 11y
Roman-Lee · #1692, 12y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 7 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Katherine · #24, 71y
Josephine · #25, 71y
Julia · #26, 70y
Philip · #20, 76y

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1950 and 1959.

Brent · #22, 64y
Denise · #22, 74y
Derek · #22, 72y
Janice · #22, 74y

Comparisons involving Roman

Existing comparison pages where Roman and another name were ranked in the same published list, in the same years, on the same scale. Each has its own evidence; none of them says the names are alike.

Longest shared records

Names ranked alongside Roman in the same published list across at least 25 years.

Muhammad vs Roman
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Muhammad #1 in 2023, Roman #23 in 2021.
Muhammad · Roman · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Peaked in the same years
See the 2023 England and Wales ranking
Jordan vs Roman
Jordan and Roman averaged 18.8 places apart in New Zealand · Boys, and 220 places apart in England and Wales · Boys.
Jordan · Roman · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Close in one country, far apart in another
Hugo vs Roman
In England and Wales · Boys, Roman moved into the top 50 at #28 in 2020 as Hugo fell out of it to #51, having been #48 the year before.
Hugo · Roman · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 2020 England and Wales ranking

Roman and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,577 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Roman without appearing here.

Roman moved ahead of

Garry
In 1999 they stood at #809 and #750 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2000 that had become #401 and #1048.
Noel
In 1999 they stood at #809 and #776 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2000 that had become #401 and #953.
Ashleigh
In 1999 they stood at #809 and #621 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2000 that had become #401 and #881.
Barry
In 1999 they stood at #809 and #809 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2000 that had become #401 and #848.

Moved ahead of Roman

Joshua
In 1995 they stood at #509 and #535 in Norway · Boys; by 1996 that had become #596 and #278.
Ludvig
In 1992 they stood at #384 and #408 in Norway · Boys; by 1993 that had become #563 and #277.
Leon
In 1992 they stood at #384 and #407 in Norway · Boys; by 1993 that had become #563 and #284.
Phillip
In 2001 they stood at #461 and #487 in Norway · Boys; by 2002 that had become #497 and #250.

Moved the opposite way to Roman

Markus
Between 1956 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Roman went from #244 to #438 while Markus went from #406 to #68.
Oliver
Between 1959 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Roman went from #202 to #438 while Oliver went from #478 to #5.
Sondre
Between 1966 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Roman went from #253 to #438 while Sondre went from #512 to #140.
Joakim
Between 1967 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Roman went from #294 to #438 while Joakim went from #534 to #265.

Moved the same way as Roman

Geir
Between 1952 and 2024 in Norway · Boys, Roman went from #333 to #497 and Geir from #17 to #482.
Paul
Between 1952 and 2024 in Norway · Boys, Roman went from #333 to #497 and Paul from #79 to #370.
Kenneth
Between 1952 and 2018 in Norway · Boys, Roman went from #333 to #530 and Kenneth from #178 to #397.
Kjetil
Between 1952 and 2016 in Norway · Boys, Roman went from #333 to #468 and Kjetil from #152 to #493.

Meaning & Origin

From the Latin Romanus, meaning 'Roman' — borne by several early saints and medieval rulers of Bulgaria, Kyiv and Moldavia.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Latin, widely used across Slavic and Germanic languages

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Roman is officially recorded

7 official registrars have recorded Roman, between 1952 and 2025. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

Registrar	Recorded	Years	Its own highest position
Norway	1952–2025	58	#196 in 1965
England and Wales	1996–2025	30	#23 in 2021
Republic of Ireland	2001–2025	22	#134 in 2024
Northern Ireland	2008–2024	13	#108 in 2024
New Zealand	2009–2023	13	#43 in 2022
New South Wales, Australia	2021–2025	5	#50 in 2025
Scotland	2024	1	#46 in 2024

Its high point came 60 years earlier in Norway (1965) than in New South Wales, Australia (2025).

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

ROH-mahn/ˈro.man/

Syllables: 2
Ease: easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Roman Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Roman in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

New South Wales, AustraliaEngland and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNorwayNew Zealand

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

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Roman

Roman at a glance

What stands out in Roman's record

Overview

Popularity

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Roman across 6 official records

Roman by decade in Norway · Boys

Roman appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Roman

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Comparisons involving Roman

Longest shared records

Roman and the names beside it

Roman moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Roman

Moved the opposite way to Roman

Moved the same way as Roman

Meaning & Origin

Where Roman is officially recorded

Variants

Similar Names

Spelling

Pronunciation

Where Roman Is Recorded

Notable Usage

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Roman at a glance

What stands out in Roman's record

Roman across 6 official records

Roman by decade in Norway · Boys

Roman appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Roman

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Comparisons involving Roman

Longest shared records

Roman and the names beside it

Roman moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Roman

Moved the opposite way to Roman

Moved the same way as Roman