Romona
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "pilgrim from Rome".
Name Census estimates that about 3,067 living Americans carry the first name Romona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Romona today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Romona births was 1955 (148 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Romona. 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.
People living today
3.1K
~ 1 in 111,756 Americans
Peak year
1955
148 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,148
Tracked since 1908
Census
Romona in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,979 people with the first name Romona, which placed it at #5,674 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
#5,674
National first-name rank
People counted
3.0K
2,979 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
46.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Romona
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Romona is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Black (33.9%) and Hispanic (13.7%). 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 Romona 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 Romona at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.3% · 1,380
- Black or African American33.9% · 1,010
- Hispanic or Latino13.7% · 409
- Two or more races2.4% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 52
Popularity
Romona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Romona from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 1,226 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Romona 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 Romona during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Romonas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 29 states and territories. Louisiana, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Romona, while West Virginia, Oklahoma, Iowa recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 70 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Romona
The name Romona has its origins in Latin, derived from the word "Romanus," which means "Roman" or "of Rome." The name gained popularity during the Roman Empire, when the city of Rome was at the height of its power and influence.
In ancient Roman culture, the name Romona was often given to female children born to families with strong ties to the city of Rome or the Roman way of life. It was a name that symbolized pride in one's Roman heritage and a connection to the rich history and traditions of the Roman Empire.
While the name Romona does not appear in any major ancient texts or religious scriptures, it can be found in various historical records and inscriptions from the Roman era. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name dates back to the 2nd century AD, when a woman named Romona was mentioned in a Roman inscription found in the city of Ostia Antica.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Romona. One of the earliest recorded examples is Romona of Alexandria (c. 250 AD), a Christian martyr who was executed during the Decian persecution for refusing to renounce her faith. Another notable Romona was Romona of Trier (c. 640 AD), a Frankish noblewoman and patron of the arts who commissioned the construction of several churches and monasteries in the region.
In the Middle Ages, Romona de Villeneuve (c. 1170-1246) was a French noblewoman and crusader who accompanied her husband on the Fifth Crusade to the Holy Land. Her bravery and devotion during the campaign earned her widespread admiration and recognition.
During the Renaissance, Romona Pico della Mirandola (1472-1533) was an Italian scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of humanism and the revival of classical learning. She was highly regarded for her intellect and erudition, and her writings influenced many of her contemporaries.
In more recent times, Romona Keveza (born 1964) is an American fashion designer known for her bridal and evening wear collections. Her designs have been worn by numerous celebrities and have been featured in prestigious fashion publications.
Despite its long history and cultural significance, the name Romona has declined in popularity in recent decades, perhaps due to its association with the ancient Roman Empire and its perceived antiquity. However, it remains a unique and meaningful name with a rich heritage and cultural legacy.
People
Romona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Romona 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
Romona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Romona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,067 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Romona 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 111,756 US residents.
Is Romona a common name?
We classify Romona as "Rare". It ranks above 95.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,170 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Romona most popular?
The single biggest year for Romona was 1955, when 148 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Romona is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Romona in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,979 people with the name Romona, or 0.99 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,674 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 Romona 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 Romona?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Romona appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,978 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Romona?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Romona is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Black (33.9%) and Hispanic (13.7%). 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 Romona most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Romona in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.3% (1,380 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 Romona in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Romona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Romona in the SSA data are female. 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 Romona still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Romona 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 Romona 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 have Romona as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.