Romain
Of French origin, meaning "citizen of Rome".
Name Census estimates that about 368 living Americans carry the first name Romain. It is a predominantly male name (99.1% of registrations). The average person named Romain today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Romain births was 1990 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Romain. 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
368
~ 1 in 931,398 Americans
Peak year
1990
14 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,162
Tracked since 1911
Gender
Gender distribution for Romain
Out of the 539 babies given the name Romain since 1880, 99.1% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Romain as a male name
- Ranked #13,790 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1990 (14 births)
Romain as a female name
- Ranked #5,162 in 1929
- 5 female births in 1929
- Peak: 1929 (5 births)
Popularity
Romain: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Romain from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 79 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Romain remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Romain 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 Romain 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 Romain
The given name Romain has its origins in the Late Latin and Old French languages. It is derived from the Roman name Romanus, which means "Roman" or "of Roman descent." The name itself can be traced back to the ancient city of Rome and the Roman Empire, where it was used to denote a connection to the Roman people and their culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Romain can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. He mentioned a Roman senator named Romanus who played a role in the political intrigues of his time. The name was also used by early Christian saints, such as St. Romain of Auxerre, a 5th-century bishop in modern-day France.
During the Middle Ages, the name Romain became more widespread throughout Europe, particularly in France, where it was popular among the nobility. One notable figure was Romain Le Preux, a French knight who fought in the Crusades in the 12th century. Another was Romain de Villeneuve, a 13th-century French troubadour and poet.
In the Renaissance period, Romain gained further prominence with individuals like Romain Groleau, a 16th-century French architect who worked on several notable buildings in Paris. Later, in the 17th century, the name was borne by Romain Rolland, a French philosopher and Nobel Prize winner in literature.
Other notable individuals with the name Romain include Romain Vincy, a 19th-century French explorer and naturalist, and Romain Gary, a 20th-century French novelist and diplomat who was born in 1914 and died in 1980. Romain Puertolas, a Spanish-born French singer and actor, was also a prominent figure of the 20th century, living from 1924 to 2021.
Throughout its long history, the name Romain has maintained its connection to the Roman heritage and culture, serving as a reminder of the enduring influence of the ancient Roman civilization on the Western world.
People
Romain + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Romain 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
Romain: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Romain?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 368 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Romain 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 931,398 US residents.
Is Romain a common name?
We classify Romain as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 539 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Romain most popular?
The single biggest year for Romain was 1990, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Romain is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Romain a male name?
Yes, 99.1% of people registered as Romain 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.