Romain
Masculine · “Roman”
Romain is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 536 boys against 5 girls since 1880.
Romain is French for Roman, a boy's name carried by two of France's most celebrated writers. It is two syllables with a nasal French ending, and in America it has gone almost entirely to boys.
How old is the name Romain?
Romain first appears in US birth records in 1911 — 114 years ago. The typical Romain alive today was born around 1983, making them about 42 years old. About 400 people named Romain are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Romain most popular?
Romain peaked in 1911, reaching #1740 nationally. See the whole 1911 chart.
Where it comes from
From Romanus to Romain
The story of Romain
Romain Rolland, a novelist and biographer of Beethoven, published essays in the first year of the First World War urging writers to stand above the hatred of the nations, and was reviled for it and later given the Nobel Prize. Romain Gary, a war pilot and diplomat, won France's Goncourt Prize, which may be awarded only once to any writer, and then won it a second time under the invented name Émile Ajar; the truth came out only after his death. The name is simply the French form of Roman.
Meaning
Roman
From Latin Romanus, of Rome, through French Romain.
How the name formed
- Romanus
- Romain
Related forms: Romain · Romano · Roman
Pronouncing Romain
roh-MAN
In French, with a nasal final vowel. Many Americans say roh-MAYN.
Nicknames for Romain
Limited
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
- 1911
- Most boys named
- 199014 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1740reached in 1911
- Change vs 2023
- +16.7%7 in 2024, from 6
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.
Romain in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Romain in French — same name
- Romano in Italian — same name
- Roman in English — same name
Romains among us
people named Romain are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Romain sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It has a clear meaning and literary namesakes.
- It is familiar in French and recognizable in English.
- People may read it as romaine, the lettuce.
- English speakers will not know how to say the French ending.
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What they receive
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Romain
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Romains are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 400 people named Romain are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Romain in 2025?
- Romain is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Romain with classmates?
- Romain will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More R names
The most-given names starting with R, all years combined.
Robert#92 · Richard#234 · Ronald#637 · Ryan#99 · Raymond#394 · Roger#832 · Ralph#1046 · Roy#525
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Romain? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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