Romaine
Feminine · “Roman”
Romaine is given to both — 3,136 girls and 990 boys since 1880. See Romaine as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Romaine is the word Roman turned into a name, and it only became a name once being Roman had stopped being ordinary. Nobody in Rome was called Romanus while Rome ran the world; the name appears in the provinces afterwards, among people for whom Roman meant something worth claiming.
How old is the name Romaine?
Romaine first appears in US birth records in 1887 — 138 years ago. The typical Romaine alive today was born around 1932, making them about 93 years old. About 1,100 people named Romaine are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Romaine most popular?
Romaine peaked in 1928, reaching #742 nationally. See the whole 1928 chart.
Where it comes from
From Romanus to Romaine
The story of Romaine
The lettuce carries the same word, and by an odd road. What English calls romaine, the French call laitue romaine, the Roman lettuce, because it reached France from Italy — and specifically, in the story usually told, from the papal gardens at Avignon. The English also call it cos, after the Greek island of Kos, which is where the Italians say it came from. Two nations, two different guesses about the origin of one vegetable, and both preserved in the names. The personal name has no connection to the salad except the word they share.
Meaning
Roman
The Latin Romanus is simply the adjective. It became a personal name in late antiquity, was carried by several saints, and passed into French as Romain and its feminine Romaine.
How the name formed
- Romanus
- Romain
- Romaine
Related forms: Romain · Romano · Roman · Roman
Pronouncing Romaine
roh-MAYN
Two syllables with the weight at the back. French says roh-MEN with a nasal ending, and the American reading follows the lettuce rather than the French.
Nicknames for Romaine
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
- 1887
- Most girls named
- 192891 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #742reached in 1928
- Change vs 1987
- −16.7%5 in 1991, 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.
Romaine in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Romain in French — same name
- Romano in Italian — same name
- Roman in Spanish — same name
- Roman in Russian — transliteration
Romaines among us
people named Romaine 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
Romaine 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 is a standing name in French, Italian, Spanish and Russian.
- Every sound in it is easy for an English speaker.
- The meaning is transparent and the history behind it is documented from late antiquity.
- In America the word is a kind of lettuce before it is a name, and everyone will make the joke.
- The spelling is recorded for girls as well as boys, and the -aine ending pulls it that way.
- Romain, Roman and Romaine are all in the record and will be confused.
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What they receive
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Romaine
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Romaines are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,100 people named Romaine are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Romaine in 2025?
- Romaine is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Romaine with classmates?
- Romaine will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More R names
The most-given names starting with R, all years combined.
Ruth#173 · Rebecca#349 · Rachel#250 · Rose#114 · Ruby#64 · Robin#704 · Rita#1285 · Rhonda#6116
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Romaine? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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