# Rochelle (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/rochelle/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | French |
| Meaning | “rock” |
| Pronunciation | /ɹoʊˈʃɛl/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Shelley |
| Variant spellings | Rochell |
| US babies named this | 47,395 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 401 / 46,994 (99% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 991, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Habitational or topographic name from places in France, La Rochelle, from Old French rochelle diminutive form of roche (“rock”).

## What it means

Rochelle is grouped under mountain.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 58 | 2,984 |
| 2012 | 58 | 2,971 |
| 2013 | 56 | 2,999 |
| 2014 | 63 | 2,774 |
| 2015 | 60 | 2,921 |
| 2016 | 47 | 3,407 |
| 2017 | 38 | 3,982 |
| 2018 | 41 | 3,728 |
| 2019 | 31 | 4,519 |
| 2020 | 35 | 4,064 |
| 2021 | 45 | 3,480 |
| 2022 | 31 | 4,563 |
| 2023 | 27 | 4,970 |
| 2024 | 37 | 4,022 |
| 2025 | 30 | 4,646 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 9 | 3,552 |
| 1973 | 10 | 3,402 |
| 1974 | 16 | 2,537 |
| 1976 | 7 | 4,817 |
| 1977 | 7 | 5,008 |
| 1978 | 7 | 4,938 |
| 1979 | 6 | 5,906 |
| 1980 | 7 | 5,393 |
| 1981 | 10 | 4,090 |
| 1983 | 7 | 5,360 |
| 1984 | 9 | 4,481 |
| 1987 | 5 | 7,890 |
| 1989 | 10 | 5,098 |
| 1991 | 5 | 9,325 |
| 1995 | 6 | 8,661 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 22 | 1,374 |
| 2012 | 21 | 1,483 |
| 2013 | 21 | 1,484 |
| 2014 | 10 | 2,464 |
| 2015 | 12 | 2,195 |
| 2016 | 11 | 2,367 |
| 2017 | 10 | 2,502 |
| 2018 | 11 | 2,340 |
| 2019 | 6 | 3,541 |
| 2020 | 9 | 2,615 |
| 2021 | 7 | 3,192 |
| 2022 | 4 | 4,645 |
| 2023 | 9 | 2,689 |
| 2024 | 7 | 3,318 |
| 2025 | 8 | 3,035 |

## People named Rochelle

- Rochelle Aytes, American actress
- Rochelle Hudson, American actress (1916–1972)
- Rochelle Stevens, American athlete
- Rochelle Gilmore, Australian racing cyclist
- Rochelle P. Walensky, American medical scientist
- Rochelle Humes, English singer and presenter (born 1989)
- Kaitlyn Dever, American actress (born 1996)
- Kaylee McKeown, Australian swimmer

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.