Roc
Large mythical bird of prey resembling an eagle.
Name Census estimates that about 258 living Americans carry the first name Roc. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Roc today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roc births was 2010 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roc. 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.
People living today
258
~ 1 in 1,328,505 Americans
Peak year
2010
14 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,010
Tracked since 1952
Popularity
Roc: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Roc from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 87 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Roc remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Roc 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 Roc during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rocs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Roc
The name Roc has its origins in the Middle Eastern mythological creature known as the Roc, a legendary bird of tremendous size and strength. This mythical creature was first mentioned in the famous collection of Middle Eastern folk tales, "One Thousand and One Nights," also known as "The Arabian Nights." The tales were originally compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age, roughly between the 8th and 13th centuries.
The word "Roc" is derived from the Persian word "rukhkh," which means "a huge bird." The Roc was said to be capable of carrying elephants in its talons and was often described as a massive bird with wings spanning several miles in length. This mythical creature has captured the imagination of writers and storytellers across cultures for centuries.
While the name Roc is not directly mentioned in religious scriptures or ancient texts, it has become a popular name choice in various cultures due to its association with strength, power, and mythical grandeur. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Roc being used as a given name dates back to the 16th century.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals who have borne the name Roc. One such figure was Roc Brazilier (1519-1598), a French explorer and navigator who accompanied Jacques Cartier on his voyages to North America in the 16th century. Another notable Roc was Roc Gandolfi (1870-1954), an Italian painter and sculptor known for his works in the Art Nouveau style.
In the literary world, Roc Braithwaite (1909-1984) was a British novelist and playwright who gained recognition for his works exploring themes of race and identity. Roc Kirby (1884-1964) was an American artist and illustrator best known for his contributions to the early years of the comic book industry.
Lastly, Roc Bottomley (1951-2022) was a British musician and songwriter who co-founded the influential punk rock band The Vibrators in the 1970s.
People
Roc + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roc 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
Roc: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roc?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 258 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roc 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 1,328,505 US residents.
Is Roc a common name?
We classify Roc as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 279 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Roc most popular?
The single biggest year for Roc was 2010, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roc is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Roc a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Roc 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.
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.