Roa
A feminine name of unknown origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 69 living Americans carry the first name Roa. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 82.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Roa today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roa births was 2024 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Roa with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Roa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
69
~ 1 in 4,967,454 Americans
Peak year
2024
19 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,827
Tracked since 2017
Census
Roa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 149 people with the first name Roa, which placed it at #45,514 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#45,514
National first-name rank
People counted
149
149 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
52.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Roa is White at 52.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.8%) and Hispanic (14.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Roa described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Roa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.3% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.8% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino14.8% · 22
- Black or African American10.1% · 15
- Two or more races6.0% · 9
Gender
Gender distribution for Roa
Roa leans heavily female at 82.6% of total registrations, but 12 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Roa as a male name
- Ranked #10,658 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (7 births)
Roa as a female name
- Ranked #8,827 in 2024
- 12 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (12 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Roa on both sides of the split. Of the 152 people counted with this name, 33 were male (21.7%) and 119 were female (78.3%).
Popularity
Roa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Roa from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 55 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Roa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Roa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Roa
The name Roa originates from the Māori language, spoken by the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand. Its roots can be traced back to the early Polynesian settlers who arrived in New Zealand around the 13th century AD. The name Roa is derived from the Māori word 'roa,' meaning 'long' or 'tall,' and was often given to individuals with a strikingly tall or impressive physical stature.
In traditional Māori culture, names held great significance and were believed to carry the essence of an individual's identity and destiny. Roa was a name bestowed upon individuals with the hope that they would embody the qualities of strength, resilience, and leadership associated with their physical stature. The name has been recorded in various Māori oral traditions, waiata (songs), and legends passed down through generations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Roa can be found in the Māori genealogies and histories, where it was borne by several notable figures. Roa-te-ūira, a renowned Māori chieftain from the 16th century, is remembered for his wisdom and diplomacy in navigating conflicts between different tribes. Another prominent figure was Roa-tau-mahara, a revered tohunga (spiritual leader) and expert in traditional Māori knowledge, who lived in the 18th century.
Throughout history, the name Roa has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including warriors, leaders, and artists. Roa Kēnana, a skilled navigator and explorer from the early 19th century, played a crucial role in guiding European explorers through the treacherous waters of New Zealand's coastline. Roa Waikari, born in the late 18th century, was a renowned waka (canoe) builder and master carver, whose works were celebrated for their intricate designs and craftsmanship.
In more recent times, the name has continued to be embraced by the Māori community and has been borne by notable figures such as Roa Hurikino, a respected Māori rights activist and advocate for indigenous land rights in the 20th century. Roa Hūria, a celebrated Māori artist and weaver, dedicated her life to preserving and promoting traditional Māori art forms, earning widespread recognition for her intricate and vibrant tapestries.
While the name Roa has its origins in the Māori culture, it has also found resonance in other parts of the world, particularly in regions with Polynesian influences. Individuals from diverse backgrounds have embraced the name, drawn to its rich cultural heritage and the values it represents.
People
Roa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Roa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 69 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 4,967,454 US residents.
Is Roa a common name?
We classify Roa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 69 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Roa most popular?
The single biggest year for Roa was 2024, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roa is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Roa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 149 people with the name Roa, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #45,514 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Roa in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Roa?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Roa on both sides of the split. Of the 152 people counted with this name, 33 were male (21.7%) and 119 were female (78.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Roa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Roa is White at 52.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.8%) and Hispanic (14.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Roa most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Roa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.3% (78 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Roa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Roa a female name?
Yes, 82.6% of people registered as Roa in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Roa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Roa in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Roa can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Roa?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.