Romeo
Romeo is an Italian masculine given name. It arose from the Greek Ρωμαίος for a Roman citizen or a pilgrim to Rome. The popularity of the name is primarily due to Luigi da Porto naming his tragic hero Romeo Montecchi in his 1524 novel Giulietta e Romeo, 70 years later adapted by Shakespeare into the play Romeo and Juliet.
Meaning & Origin of Romeo
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Romeo is an Italian masculine given name. It arose from the Greek Ρωμαίος for a Roman citizen or a pilgrim to Rome. The popularity of the name is primarily due to Luigi da Porto naming his tragic hero Romeo Montecchi in his 1524 novel Giulietta e Romeo, 70 years later adapted by Shakespeare into the play Romeo and Juliet.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Romeo
Romeo first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2026, when 1,281 Romeos were born — ranking #267 that year. As of 2026, Romeo ranks #267 for baby boys with 1,281 births, rising sharply (+27% over the past five years). In total, more than 28K Romeos have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Romeo
Phonetically similar names — useful when Romeo is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Romeo
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About the name Romeo
Romeo is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 28K births in the dataset. Romeo's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #267. Use the chart and map above to compare Romeo's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2026 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "R" →
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- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.