Romell
A masculine name derived from the Germanic elements "hrom" meaning "fame" and "wald" meaning "power".
Name Census estimates that about 1,435 living Americans carry the first name Romell. It is a predominantly male name (93.7% of registrations). The average person named Romell today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Romell births was 2014 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Romell. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Romell with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 238,853 Americans
Peak year
2014
39 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,828
Tracked since 1920
Census
Romell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,144 people with the first name Romell, which placed it at #11,297 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#11,297
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,144 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
77.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Romell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Romell is Black at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Romell described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Romell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American77.3% · 884
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.2% · 60
- Two or more races4.7% · 54
- White4.6% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Romell
Romell leans heavily male at 93.7% of total registrations, but 98 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Romell as a male name
- Ranked #5,828 in 2024
- 16 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2014 (39 births)
Romell as a female name
- Ranked #6,404 in 1966
- 6 female births in 1966
- Peak: 1921 (8 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Romell leans strongly male. 1,033 people counted with this name were male (90.7%), compared with 106 female bearers (9.3%).
Popularity
Romell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Romell from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 298 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Romell remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Romell by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Romell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Romells live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Illinois, New York, Ohio recorded the most babies named Romell, while Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 39 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Romell
The name Romell is believed to have originated from the Roman Empire, with its roots tracing back to the Latin language. It is thought to be a variant of the name Romulus, which was the name of the legendary founder of Rome.
During the time of the Roman Empire, the name Romulus was highly revered and held great significance. It was derived from the Latin word "romulus," which meant "citizen of Rome" or "Roman." As such, the name Romell likely carried a similar meaning and connotation, symbolizing one's connection to the Roman civilization and its rich cultural heritage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Romell can be found in ancient Roman texts and historical records, although the exact dates and contexts are uncertain. It is plausible that the name was used by Roman citizens or those living within the vast Roman territories during the peak of the empire's influence.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Romell. One such individual was Romell Wilridge (1935-2018), an American politician and civil rights activist who served as the mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico, from 1985 to 1989. His contributions to promoting racial equality and social justice left a lasting impact on the community.
Another prominent figure was Romell Quioto (born 1991), a Honduran professional footballer who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club CF Montreal. His skills on the field have earned him recognition as one of the top players from his country.
In the realm of literature, Romell Buchholz (1959-2020) was a German author and poet known for his thought-provoking works that explored themes of identity, memory, and the human condition. His poetic voice resonated with readers across generations.
Romell Broom (born 1956) is an American convicted murderer who gained national attention when his scheduled execution in Ohio was halted after prison officials struggled to find a suitable vein for the lethal injection. His case sparked debates around the ethics and constitutionality of capital punishment.
Finally, Romell Curry (born 1988) is an American professional basketball player who has played in various leagues around the world, including the NBA G League and leagues in Croatia, France, and Mexico. His athleticism and dedication to the sport have earned him a respectable career in professional basketball.
While the name Romell may not be as common today, its rich history and connection to the Roman Empire make it a fascinating and meaningful moniker. The individuals who have carried this name throughout the ages have left their mark in various fields, showcasing the diverse paths that one name can take.
People
Romell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Romell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Romell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Romell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,435 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Romell going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 238,853 US residents.
Is Romell a common name?
We classify Romell as "Rare". It ranks above 92.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,559 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Romell most popular?
The single biggest year for Romell was 2014, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Romell is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Romell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,144 people with the name Romell, or 0.38 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,297 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Romell in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Romell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Romell leans strongly male. 1,033 people counted with this name were male (90.7%), compared with 106 female bearers (9.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Romell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Romell is Black at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Romell most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Romell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.3% (884 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Romell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Romell a male name?
Yes, 93.7% of people registered as Romell in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Romell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Romell in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Romell can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Romell?
Find out how many people have the name Romell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.