Remus
Masculine
Remus is the twin who dies. Romulus killed him for jumping over the half-built wall, and Rome is named for the survivor — which makes Remus one of the very few names in ordinary use that belongs to the loser of its own story.
How old is the name Remus?
Remus first appears in US birth records in 1889 — 136 years ago. The typical Remus alive today was born around 1969, making them about 56 years old. About 600 people named Remus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Remus most popular?
Remus peaked in 1889, reaching #974 nationally. Today it ranks #5608, 4,634 places below that high. See the whole 1889 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Remus
The twins are suckled by a she-wolf, and when they come to found a city they quarrel over the site and the auspices; Romulus builds a wall, Remus jumps over it in mockery, and Romulus kills him. The story is old and Roman writers were uncomfortable with it. As a given name Remus was used in nineteenth-century America along with the rest of the classical stock, peaking in 1889. Joel Chandler Harris's Uncle Remus stories, from 1880, are its most visible American association and are now read as a deeply compromised piece of plantation nostalgia.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The name has no established etymology. It is probably not Latin in origin; connections to a word meaning slow and to an Etruscan source have both been proposed and neither is accepted. Some scholars argue Remus was invented to explain the plural Romani or the name Roma, in which case the name is a back-formation rather than an inheritance.
Pronouncing Remus
REE-mus
Two syllables, stress on the first. Latin would give a shorter first vowel, REH-mus, and Romanian says it that way.
Nicknames for Remus
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1889
- Most boys named
- 201928 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #974reached in 1889
- Change vs 2023
- −23.8%16 in 2025, from 21
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Remus in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Remus in Latin — same name
- Remus in Romanian — same name
- Remo in Italian — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California.
Remuss among us
people named Remus are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 106,755 born in 2025 was named Remus
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Remus sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Remus beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Remus in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Remy works as a warm and currently popular short form.
- It carries one of the foundational stories of European civilization.
- Everyone can say it after one hearing.
- The meaning is genuinely unknown and may be a back-formation.
- Uncle Remus is a strong and uncomfortable American association.
- The mythological bearer is murdered by his brother.
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Remus
Masculine · #5608 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Remuss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Remus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Remus in 2025?
- Remus ranks #5608 among US boy names in 2025, with 16 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Remus?
- About 1 in every 106,755 US boys born in 2025 was named Remus — 16 in all.
- Will my child share the name Remus with classmates?
- Remus will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Remus
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Rolland#5608 · Llewellyn#5608 · Arlie#5608 · Gerrit#5608 · Vinson#5608 · Georgie#5608 · Wally#5608 · Webb#5608
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Remus? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Remus and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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