Roper
A name of Old English origin referring to a rope maker.
Name Census estimates that about 609 living Americans carry the first name Roper. It is a predominantly male name (98.7% of registrations). The average person named Roper today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roper births was 2024 (57 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roper. 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
609
~ 1 in 562,815 Americans
Peak year
2024
57 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,694
Tracked since 1992
Gender
Gender distribution for Roper
Roper leans heavily male at 98.7% of total registrations, but 8 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Roper as a male name
- Ranked #2,694 in 2024
- 49 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (49 births)
Roper as a female name
- Ranked #11,911 in 2024
- 8 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (8 births)
Popularity
Roper: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Roper from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 213 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Roper 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 Roper during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ropers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri recorded the most babies named Roper, while Mississippi, Alabama, Utah recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 24 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Roper
The name Roper originates from the Old English word "ropere," which means "rope maker" or "one who works with ropes." This occupational surname emerged in the Middle Ages, referring to individuals who were involved in the production of ropes, a crucial trade during that era. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century in England.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Roper was William Roper, an English biographer and son-in-law of Sir Thomas More. Born in 1496, William Roper wrote a significant biographical account of Sir Thomas More's life, providing valuable insights into the political and religious turmoil of the Tudor period in England.
Another notable figure was Margaret Roper, born in 1505, who was the daughter of Sir Thomas More and the wife of William Roper. She was known for her devotion to her father and her efforts to preserve his written works and legacy after his execution in 1535.
In the realm of literature, Jesse Roper was an American author and poet born in 1851. His works, primarily focused on the American West, earned him recognition and accolades during his lifetime. Roper's poetry and short stories captured the essence of life on the frontier, providing a glimpse into the experiences of settlers and pioneers of the era.
The name Roper also has ties to the military. John Roper, born in 1834, was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He distinguished himself through his bravery and leadership, earning the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Vicksburg in 1863.
In the 20th century, Elmo Roper, born in 1900, was a renowned American statistician and pioneer in the field of opinion polling. He founded the Roper Organization, a pioneering market research firm that played a significant role in shaping public opinion research and market analysis techniques.
While the name Roper has its roots in an occupational surname from the Middle Ages, it has transcended its origins and become a part of various historical narratives, spanning literature, military service, and groundbreaking contributions to fields like statistics and market research.
People
Roper + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roper 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
Roper: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roper?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 609 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roper 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 562,815 US residents.
Is Roper a common name?
We classify Roper as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 615 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Roper most popular?
The single biggest year for Roper was 2024, when 57 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roper is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Roper a male name?
Yes, 98.7% of people registered as Roper 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.