unisex name
Monroe
mun-ROH
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 25,544
the United States
#467
2025 births
Monroe is a unisex name of Scottish origin meaning "mouth of the Roe" — a river in Ireland, not Scotland. The clan is said to have come from the Roe in County Derry before settling in Ross-shire, so the name records a departure.
- Monroe is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 815 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,068 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Monroe started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Monroe over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 614 |
| 1890s | 565 |
| 1900s | 720 |
| 1910s | 2,450 |
| 1920s | 3,202 |
| 1930s | 2,169 |
| 1940s | 1,862 |
| 1950s | 1,284 |
| 1960s | 753 |
| 1970s | 534 |
| 1980s | 388 |
| 1990s | 371 |
| 2000s | 603 |
| 2010s | 4,499 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,346 |
What Monroe means
Monroe means from the mouth of the river Roe. The first element is the Gaelic bun, a river mouth or foot, and the second names the Roe in what is now County Londonderry.
Where Monroe comes from
Monroe anglicizes the Gaelic Bun Rotha, the mouth of the Roe. Clan Munro tradition holds that the family came from the banks of the Roe in Ulster and settled on the Cromarty Firth in the eleventh century, which would make a Scottish clan name that records an Irish river. The spelling Monroe is the American form, carried by James Monroe, fifth president and author of the doctrine that bears his name. Modern first-name use owes most to Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson, who took the surname from her mother's family. It appears in our records in every year from 1880.
Monroe in use
Monroe charts in five of the seven countries we track and reached its highest recorded use in 2025.
How popular is Monroe?
In 2025, Monroe was given to 815 babies in the United States, ranking #467 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Monroe is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Monroe
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Monroe also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Monroe over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Monroe
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Monroe in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Monroe
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Monroe — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Monroe
What does the name Monroe mean?
Mouth of the river Roe, from the Gaelic bun, a river mouth. The Roe is in Ireland, not Scotland.
Is Monroe Scottish or Irish?
Both, in a sense. It is a Scottish clan name whose tradition records an origin on an Irish river.
Is Monroe a boy's or a girl's name?
Both, though it is now given more often to girls.
How popular is the name Monroe?
In 2025, Monroe was given to 815 babies in the United States, ranking #467 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Monroe?
Monroe has 2 syllables.
When was Monroe most popular?
Monroe peaked in 2025, when 815 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Monroe?
Monroe is usually shortened to Roe and Mo.
Is Monroe a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Monroe currently ranks #430 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.