Given name & surname
Rochelle
“from the little rock”
Rochelle is used as a given name and a surname. One French interpretation is “from the little rock.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One French interpretation is “from the little rock.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is French.
How it developed
Rochelle is a diminutive of Roch.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1900. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Rochelle through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 47,395
- 401 boys · 46,994 girls
- Most popular year
- 1969
- 1,284 babies
- 2025
- 30
- #4,646 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −11%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 30 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,646 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 11.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,271 in 1969. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 40,162 as a first name in 2020; 3,252 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Rochelle’s family of names
In English usage, Rochelle has a diminutive in Shelley. Rochelle has a related form in Rochel. Rochelle has a related form in Rochell.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Rochelvariant
- Shelleydiminutive · English
- Rochellvariant · English
- Roshellevariant
- Roschellevariant
- Rochellavariant
- Rochelevariant
- Rochfull form
Show 2 moreShow fewer
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Rochelle
- Rochelle AytesAmerican actressborn 1976
- Rochelle HudsonAmerican actress (1916–1972)
- Rochelle StevensAmerican athleteborn 1966
- Chellie PingreeU.S. Representative from Maineborn 1955
- Rochelle GilmoreAustralian racing cyclistborn 1981
- Rochelle WalenskyAmerican medical scientistborn 1969
- Rochelle HumesEnglish singer and presenter (born 1989)
- Rochelle RaoIndian actressborn 1988
- Rochelle PotkarIndian fiction author and poet based in Mumbaiborn 1979
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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