Roran
A Welsh unisex name meaning "great or mighty champion".
Name Census estimates that about 461 living Americans carry the first name Roran. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Roran today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roran births was 2024 (57 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roran. 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 Roran with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
461
~ 1 in 743,502 Americans
Peak year
2024
57 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,430
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Roran: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Roran from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 244 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
Roran 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 Roran during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rorans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Roran
The given name Roran has its origins in the ancient Celtic cultures that existed across parts of Europe, including modern-day Britain and Ireland, as well as regions of Spain, France, and Germany. It is believed to have derived from the Proto-Celtic root word "ro," meaning "great" or "mighty," and the suffix "-an," which was a common ending used to form personal names.
This name first appears in written records dating back to the 5th century CE, when it was mentioned in various Celtic manuscripts and historical accounts. One of the earliest documented individuals with this name was Roran ap Cadwallon, a Welsh prince who lived in the late 6th century and was known for his military prowess in battles against the invading Anglo-Saxons.
In the 8th century, a Breton nobleman named Roran of Vannes was a prominent figure in the region of Brittany, France. He was known for his role in establishing several monastic communities and his support for the spread of Christianity in the area.
During the Middle Ages, the name Roran was particularly popular among the Irish and Scottish Celtic populations. One notable figure was Roran O'Conor, an Irish chieftain who lived in the 12th century and played a significant role in the conflicts between the Irish and the Anglo-Norman invaders.
In the 14th century, a Scottish warrior named Roran MacLeod was renowned for his bravery and leadership in defending the Hebrides islands against English and Norwegian forces. His exploits were celebrated in various Scottish bardic tales and legends.
Another historical figure bearing this name was Roran O'Donnell, an Irish chieftain and military leader who lived in the 16th century. He was a prominent figure in the Nine Years' War against English rule in Ireland and is remembered for his successful defense of Donegal against the forces of the English Crown.
While the name Roran has fallen out of common usage in modern times, it remains a significant part of Celtic cultural heritage and serves as a reminder of the rich history and traditions of these ancient peoples.
People
Roran + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roran 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
Roran: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roran?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 461 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roran 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 743,502 US residents.
Is Roran a common name?
We classify Roran as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 464 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Roran most popular?
The single biggest year for Roran was 2024, when 57 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roran is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Roran in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Roran a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Roran 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.
Is Roran still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Roran 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 Roran 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Roran?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.