Rocko
A diminutive form of the Germanic name Rocco meaning "rest" or "repose".
Name Census estimates that about 271 living Americans carry the first name Rocko. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rocko today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rocko births was 2014 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rocko. 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
271
~ 1 in 1,264,776 Americans
Peak year
2014
22 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,167
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Rocko: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rocko from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 139 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Rocko remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rocko 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 Rocko during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rockos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Rocko
The name Rocko is thought to have originated as a diminutive form of the Italian name Rocco, which itself derives from the Germanic name Hroch, meaning "rest" or "repose." The earliest known use of the name Rocco dates back to the 4th century AD, when it was borne by several early Christian saints and martyrs.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Rocco was Saint Rocco (or Roch), a 14th-century French pilgrim who is venerated in the Catholic Church for his service to the sick during the Black Death pandemic. According to legend, he miraculously survived the plague after being nursed by a dog that licked his wounds.
In the 16th century, the Italian Renaissance artist Rocco Marconi (1504-1565) was a prominent painter and architect who worked extensively in the city of Treviso. His frescoes and architectural designs can still be seen in various churches and palaces throughout the region.
Another notable bearer of the name was Rocco Scotellaro (1923-1953), an Italian poet and activist who championed the rights of peasants and agricultural workers in southern Italy. His most famous work, "L'uva puttanata" ("The Debauched Grape"), was published posthumously and became a classic of Italian neorealist literature.
In the realm of music, Rocco Prestia (1951-2020) was an American bassist and founding member of the funk band Tower of Power. He was widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative bassists of the funk and soul genres.
The name Rocko, with its distinctive spelling variation, gained some popularity in the late 20th century, perhaps influenced by the character Rocko from the Nickelodeon animated series "Rocko's Modern Life" (1993-1996). However, its usage as a given name predates the show and can be traced back to earlier examples in various cultures and contexts.
People
Rocko + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rocko 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
Rocko: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rocko?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 271 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rocko 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 1,264,776 US residents.
Is Rocko a common name?
We classify Rocko as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 273 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rocko most popular?
The single biggest year for Rocko was 2014, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rocko is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rocko a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rocko 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.