The first name Roman
A boy’s name from Latin.
Pronounced /ˈɹoʊ.mən/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Latin origin
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 Medieval Greek endonym Ῥωμαῖος (Rhōmaîos).
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 1,420 boys were named Roman, making it the 27th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2021, with 1,923 births (#23).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Roman with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Roman at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 6,162 boys born in the United States were named Roman, the 42nd most popular boys’ name that year.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Roman in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Roman in Czech, Dutch, German, Polish and Slovak too.
Famous people named Roman
92 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Roman PolanskiFrench-Polish filmmaker (born 1933)
- Roman HerzogFormer President of the Federal Republic of Germany (1934–2017)
- Juan Román RiquelmeArgentine association football player, born 1978
- Roman WeidenfellerGerman association football player (born 1980)
- Roman von Ungern-SternbergAustrian anti-communist general (1886-1921)
- Roman ŠebrleCzech high jumper and decathlete, born 1974
- Roman EremenkoFinnish footballer, born 1987
- Roman HubníkCzech soccer player and soccer representant, born 1984
- Roman LobGerman musician, born 1990
- Roman KienastAustrian footballer, born 1984
- Roman CoppolaFilmmaker, son of Francis Ford Coppola (born 1965)
- Roman SteinbergEstonian wrestler (1900–1939)
More Latin boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Roman mean?
- 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 Medieval Greek endonym Ῥωμαῖος (Rhōmaîos).
- What is the origin of the name Roman?
- 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 Medieval Greek endonym Ῥωμαῖος (Rhōmaîos).
- How popular is the name Roman?
- In 2025, 1,420 boys born in England and Wales were named Roman, ranking 27th. Its peak was 2021, with 1,923 births.
- Is Roman a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 105,131 US babies named Roman since 1880 were boys.
- When was Roman most popular?
- 2025 in the United States, when 6,162 babies were named Roman, its highest rank at 42nd.
- How do you pronounce Roman?
- Roman is /ˈɹoʊ.mən/, 2 syllables.
- Is Roman also a surname?
- Yes. Roman is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.