boy's name
Roger
ROJ-er
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 869,807
the United States
#834
2025 births
Roger is a boy's name from Germanic elements meaning famous spear. It is the reason radio operators say roger for a message received — the name stood for the letter R in the spelling alphabet used until 1956, and the usage outlived the alphabet.
- Roger is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 1953, when 13,200 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 11,163 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Roger 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 | 342 |
| 1890s | 607 |
| 1900s | 928 |
| 1910s | 8,453 |
| 1920s | 21,928 |
| 1930s | 49,827 |
| 1940s | 107,917 |
| 1950s | 110,440 |
| 1960s | 71,751 |
| 1970s | 29,919 |
| 1980s | 18,129 |
| 1990s | 10,667 |
| 2000s | 6,360 |
| 2010s | 4,475 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,087 |
What Roger means
Roger means famous spear. The Germanic original joins a word for fame or renown to one meaning spear, so the sense is a warrior known for his weapon.
Where Roger comes from
Roger comes from the Germanic Hrodgar — hrod, fame or renown, joined to ger, a spear. It is the same name as the Old English Hroðgar, the king in Beowulf, though the form that survives in English arrived later with the Normans rather than descending from the Anglo-Saxon. Its most unusual afterlife is as a word: in the British and American radio spelling alphabets used from the 1920s until 1956, Roger stood for the letter R, which was itself shorthand for received. When the alphabet changed and R became Romeo, the phrase roger that had already fixed itself in speech and stayed. The Jolly Roger is unrelated and its origin is disputed.
Roger in use
Roger peaked in the United States in 1953, when 13,200 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling — one of only a handful in this cohort that is not still declining. It now ranks 834th in the United States on 297 births, 2601st in England and Wales and 6328th in France, across 869,807 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Roger?
In 2025, Roger was given to 297 babies in the United States, ranking #834 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Roger 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 Roger
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Roger also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Roger over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Roger 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 Roger
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Roger — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Roger
What does the name Roger mean?
Famous spear — the Germanic hrod, fame, joined to ger, spear.
Why do pilots say roger?
Roger stood for the letter R in the radio spelling alphabet used until 1956, and R meant received. The phrase outlived the alphabet.
Is Roger in Beowulf?
The same name is — Hroðgar, the Danish king. The English form Roger arrived separately with the Normans.
How popular is Roger?
834th in the United States, and our data marks it stable rather than falling.
Is Roger a girl's or a boy's name?
Roger is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Roger?
Roger has 2 syllables.
Is Roger a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Roger currently ranks #834 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.