Roanin
A masculine Irish name meaning "little wanderer" or "little rover".
Name Census estimates that about 78 living Americans carry the first name Roanin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Roanin today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roanin births was 2023 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roanin. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Roanin. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
78
~ 1 in 4,394,286 Americans
Peak year
2023
10 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2023 SSA rank
#8,132
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Roanin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Roanin from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 34 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Roanin remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Roanin 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 Roanin 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 Roanin
The name Roanin has its origins in ancient Celtic culture, with roots tracing back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic word "roan," which means "seal" or "sea lion." This suggests that the name may have been associated with coastal communities or those with a strong maritime tradition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Roanin appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The entry, dated around the year 1028, mentions a man named Roanin mac Flaithri, who was a chieftain of the Uí Fhloinn kindred in what is now County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
In the 12th century, a Roanin Ua Maoilchonaire is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, another important source for early Irish history. He is described as a distinguished scholar and poet who died in the year 1186.
During the Norse-Gaelic era, when parts of Ireland and Scotland were under Viking influence, a chieftain named Roanin mac Torcaill is recorded as leading a contingent of warriors from the Hebrides Islands in a battle against the Kingdom of the Isles in 1263.
In the 15th century, a Roanin O'Donnell is noted as being a prominent member of the O'Donnell clan, one of the most powerful and influential families in the Province of Ulster during the late medieval period.
Another notable figure bearing the name Roanin was a 16th-century Irish poet and bard from County Mayo, known as Roanin Óg Ó Maoilchonaire. His works, which celebrated the exploits of local chieftains and praised the beauty of the Irish landscape, were widely renowned and helped preserve the bardic tradition.
While the name Roanin has ancient roots, it has become relatively rare in modern times, perhaps due to its unique and somewhat archaic spelling. However, its connection to Ireland's rich cultural heritage and the romantic imagery associated with seals and the sea make it a distinctive and meaningful choice for those interested in reviving traditional Celtic names.
People
Roanin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roanin 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
Roanin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roanin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 78 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roanin 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 4,394,286 US residents.
Is Roanin a common name?
We classify Roanin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 79 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Roanin most popular?
The single biggest year for Roanin was 2023, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roanin is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Roanin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Roanin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Roanin in the SSA data are male. 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 Roanin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Roanin 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 Roanin 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Roanin?
Find out how many Americans are named Roanin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.