Rochester Name Meaning, Origin & Popularity

At a Glance: Name: Rochester – Meaning: Hrof's Roman fort (place name) – Origin: Old English (place name: Rochester, Kent) – Gender: primarily used for boys – Pronunciation: RAH-ches-ter

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Rochester comes from Old English and started out as a place name: Rochester, Kent, a town built on Hrof's old Roman fort. So the name doesn't carry a soft or poetic meaning on its own — it points straight back to that English city and the fort it was named for. It's a solid, place-rooted choice for parents who like names with a real spot on the map behind them.

Meaning & Origin of Rochester

Meaning: Hrof's Roman fort (place name).

Origin: Old English (place name: Rochester, Kent).

Source: Wiktionary.

How to Pronounce Rochester

Phonetic: RAH-ches-ter   IPA: /ˈrɒtʃɪstər/

Popularity of Rochester

Rochester hit its widest use in 1944, ranking #1471 with 22 babies given the name that year. By 1971, the last year it turns up in Social Security records, it had dropped to #4809 with only 6 babies named Rochester.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1914–1971.

Make Rochester Name Art

Free printable nursery art for Rochester, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.

Names With a Similar Story

Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.

• Naman
• Wynne
• Trudy
• Ilona
• Cherry
• Revel

FAQ

What does the name Rochester mean?

Hrof’s Roman fort (place name). (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Rochester)

How do you pronounce Rochester?

Rochester is pronounced RAH-ches-ter (IPA: /ˈrɒtʃɪstər/).

Is Rochester a popular name right now?

Rochester peaked at #1471 in 1944 and is ranked #4809 as of 1971. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1914–1971.)

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