An ultra short boy’s first name, easy to pronounce everywhere, which takes the name of a mythical capital: on paper, it has everything to join Léo, Noah or Gabriel at the top of the INSEE rankings. However, recent data from the First Name File, supplied by the RNIPP, tell a different story. In France, almost no little boy still wears it. This first name is
Rome.
This boy namederived from Romain, is very rare in France and according to INSEE, there were 3 births in 2008 then 5 in 2022 and 5 in 2023. In all cases, we only have a few babies, far from the 2,198 little Romys born in 2023.
Rome, the first name of the capital that still intrigues parents
In lists of city first names, we often see Rio, Sydney, Phoenix or Dakota. Romehe remains almost absent, even though he ticks all the boxes for 2025 trends: short, international, easy to write. In the United States, the site The Bump mentions around 520 births bearing this first name, with a clear increase in 2022, when France records only a few isolated cases.
This ghostly impression also comes from the way in which the First Name FileINSEE publishes the figures. The institute only releases a first name if it has been given at least three times, then it rounds each number to the multiple of five to protect privacy. A “5” can therefore hide 3, 4, 6 or 7 small births, which maintains the aura of rarity around Rome.
Latin origin of Rome and the story it tells
Rome is a derivative of Roman and the Latin “Romanus”, which means “citizen of Rome”. This first name therefore carries the idea of a direct link with the eternal city, its history and its culture. For parents who love Italy, travel or heritage, it can function as a discreet nod, more unique than a simple vacation souvenir.
Several much more established cousins gravitate around this first name: Roma, Romy, Romuald or Roméo as known variations. Romy has become one of the most given first names in France, with 2,198 births in 2023. Choosing Rome therefore means remaining in a sound universe familiar to the French ear, while offering an almost new version.
Choosing Rome: the right questions to ask yourself before you decide
Before registering Rome on the birth declaration, many parents wonder how it will be experienced on a daily basis. The immediate association with the city can provoke remarks at school, as with Rio or Brooklyn, but it also speaks of travel and culture. Testing the first name out loud with the last name, possibly planning a more traditional middle name, helps to check if you really feel comfortable.