Given name & surname · also Italian
Romeo
“pilgrim to Rome”
Romeo had a religious meaning before it became the name of Shakespeare’s romantic hero.
Original ItalianRomea
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “pilgrim to Rome.”
Where it comes from
Romeo comes from Italian, and ultimately from Ancient Greek.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
Romeo developed from Roma. In English usage, Romeo developed from Ῥωμαῖος.
The story
In medieval use, Romeo described a pilgrim to Rome. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet drew on Arthur Brooke’s poem about Romeus and Juliet, itself part of a storytelling tradition connected with the Italian writer Matteo Bandello.
Romeo through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 26,864
- 26,864 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 1,191 babies
- 2025
- 1,129
- #302 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +18%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,129 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 302 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 17.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (225). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 22,794 as a first name in 2020; 8,249 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.
Romeo’s family of names
In Cebuano usage, Romeo has a diminutive in MIYONG. Romeo developed from Roma. Romeo has a related form in Roman.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Romeo has relatives in 9 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Ancient Greekwhere Romeo comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 15
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Romeo
- Romeo BenettiItalian footballerborn 1945
- Romeo CastelenDutch footballerborn 1983
- Romeo MillerAmerican rapper, actor and basketball playerborn 1989
- Romeo NeriItalian gymnast, 3 Olympic golds (1903–1961)
- Romeo BertiniItalian athlete (1893-1973)
- Romeo BeckhamEnglish association football player (born 2002)
- Romeo CorboUruguayan footballerborn 1952
- Romeo MentiItalian footballer (1919-1949)
- Romeo RiversCanadian ice hockey player (1907-1986)
Characters named Romeo: Romeo (Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet").
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Romeo, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Julian
Julian is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “the child of Jove; one who is vouthful Julien, Julira.uscant eni Jaun., ilano blyon,.”
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Cade
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Troilus
Troilus is a masculine given name from Ancient Greek.
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Sofus
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Arion
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94% boys · 6% girls
Holden
“one who is willing and eager” · “from the hollow in the valley”
99% boys · 1% girls
Rhett
“a well-spoken man”
99% boys · 1% girls