Rochelle
A feminine name with French origins, meaning "little rock".
Name Census estimates that about 36,966 living Americans carry the first name Rochelle. It is a predominantly female name (99.2% of registrations). The average person named Rochelle today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rochelle births was 1969 (1,283 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rochelle. 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 Rochelle with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Rochelle is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 401 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
37K
~ 1 in 9,272 Americans
Peak year
1969
1,283 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
1995 SSA rank
#4,009
Tracked since 1900
Census
Rochelle in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 40,170 people with the first name Rochelle, which placed it at #1,042 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
#1,042
National first-name rank
People counted
40K
40,170 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
13.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
56.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rochelle
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rochelle is White at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Hispanic (6.3%). 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 Rochelle 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 Rochelle at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.1% · 22,534
- Black or African American27.5% · 11,053
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 2,537
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.9% · 1,978
- Two or more races3.7% · 1,476
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 592
Gender
Gender distribution for Rochelle
Out of the 47,367 babies given the name Rochelle since 1880, 99.2% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Rochelle as a male name
- Ranked #8,659 in 1995
- 6 male births in 1995
- Peak: 1962 (18 births)
Rochelle as a female name
- Ranked #4,009 in 2024
- 37 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1969 (1,270 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rochelle appears almost entirely female. Of the 40,162 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Rochelle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rochelle from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 9,970 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rochelle 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 Rochelle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rochelles live
The SSA's state-level files cover 49 states and territories. California, New York, Illinois recorded the most babies named Rochelle, while Wyoming, Maine, Rhode Island recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 875 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rochelle
The name Rochelle is of French origin and has its roots in the Old French word "rochelle," which means "little rock." It is believed to have been derived from the name of the French town of La Rochelle, located in the western part of the country.
The earliest recorded use of the name Rochelle dates back to the 12th century, where it was used as a surname for those who lived near or came from the town of La Rochelle. Over time, the name transitioned from a surname to a given name, particularly popular among French Christians.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Rochelle can be found in the "Chanson de Roland," an ancient French epic poem dating back to the late 11th century. In this poem, a character named Rochelle is mentioned as a brave warrior who fought alongside the legendary Roland.
During the Middle Ages, the name Rochelle gained popularity among the French nobility and aristocracy. One notable historical figure with this name was Rochelle de Montmorency (1492-1557), a French noblewoman and courtier who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Claude of France.
In the 17th century, the name Rochelle became associated with the Siege of La Rochelle, a significant event during the Huguenot rebellions in France. The city of La Rochelle was a Protestant stronghold, and its resistance against the Catholic forces led by King Louis XIII was renowned. This historical event further increased the name's recognition and association with strength and resilience.
Another notable figure with the name Rochelle was Rochelle de Vieux-Pont (1665-1722), a French playwright and poet who gained recognition for her works during the Age of Enlightenment. Her plays often explored themes of love, tragedy, and societal issues, earning her a prominent place in French literary history.
In the 19th century, the name Rochelle was popularized in the United States, particularly among French-Americans. One prominent American figure with this name was Rochelle Saltonstall (1792-1857), a philanthropist and social reformer who dedicated her life to improving the lives of the underprivileged and advocating for women's rights.
As the name Rochelle spread across different cultures and regions, it continued to be associated with strength, resilience, and a connection to French heritage. Rochelle Ascher (1901-1994) was a German-born American artist and sculptor known for her innovative works in metal and her involvement in the Bauhaus movement. Rochelle Owens (1936-present) is an American poet and playwright celebrated for her experimental writing and contributions to the avant-garde literary scene.
People
Rochelle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rochelle 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
Rochelle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rochelle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 36,966 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rochelle 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 9,272 US residents.
Is Rochelle a common name?
We classify Rochelle as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 47,367 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rochelle most popular?
The single biggest year for Rochelle was 1969, when 1,283 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rochelle is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Rochelle in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 40,170 people with the name Rochelle, or 13.30 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #1,042 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 Rochelle 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 Rochelle?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rochelle appears almost entirely female. Of the 40,162 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Rochelle?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rochelle is White at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Hispanic (6.3%). 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 Rochelle most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Rochelle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.1% (22,534 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 Rochelle in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rochelle a female name?
Yes, 99.2% of people registered as Rochelle 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 Rochelle still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rochelle 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 Rochelle 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 have Rochelle as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.