Fun Facts About the Name Rommel
- More than 1 thousand babies named Rommel: U.S. records list 1,519 babies given the name Rommel from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Rommel Mean?
Rommel is a German surname that also appears as a given name. It is generally traced to an old Germanic personal name shortened to a pet form, built on the element hruom (also written hrom), meaning 'fame' or 'glory.' That same element forms part of longer Germanic names such as Romuald, and in this reading Rommel carries the literal sense 'fame' or 'glory.' A second explanation derives the surname instead from Middle High German rumel or rummel, 'noise, commotion,' from the verb rummen, 'to make a noise' - a nickname for a loud or boisterous person. The two explanations are not always separated, and no single origin can be confirmed for every family that bears the name.
Rommel Name History & Origins
Rommel is recorded as a family name in the German-speaking lands of Central Europe, where many surnames grew out of medieval given names or descriptive nicknames. German emigration in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries carried the surname to North America and other regions. The best-known bearer is Erwin Rommel (1891 - 1944), the German field marshal of the Second World War, whose name made the surname familiar far outside Germany.
As a first name, Rommel is much rarer than the surname. It is used as a given name in the Philippines, and it also appears occasionally in Germany. The spelling is normally left unchanged across these languages.
How Popular is the Name Rommel?
Rommel has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2008. Its best rank was #1,581 in 1973.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,007 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2024 | #5,829 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2023 | #5,867 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2022 | #4,404 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2021 | #5,073 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2020 | #4,121 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2019 | #6,341 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2018 | #4,322 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2017 | #5,261 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2016 | #4,907 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2015 | #3,496 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2014 | #5,440 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2013 | #3,642 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2012 | #3,695 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2011 | #5,894 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2010 | #4,805 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2009 | #4,399 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2008 | #3,207 | 36 | 0.0018% |
| 2007 | #3,575 | 30 | 0.0014% |
| 2006 | #3,869 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 2005 | #3,072 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 2004 | #3,437 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 2003 | #3,948 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2002 | #4,154 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2001 | #2,917 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 2000 | #3,886 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1999 | #5,259 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #4,162 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1997 | #2,599 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 1996 | #4,351 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1995 | #4,229 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1994 | #2,832 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 1993 | #3,126 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1992 | #2,588 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 1991 | #2,130 | 35 | 0.0017% |
| 1990 | #2,606 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 1989 | #2,762 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 1988 | #3,052 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1987 | #2,455 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1986 | #2,049 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1985 | #2,688 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1984 | #2,146 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1983 | #2,198 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1982 | #1,728 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 1981 | #2,257 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1980 | #2,103 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1979 | #1,861 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 1978 | #2,006 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1977 | #2,116 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 1976 | #1,598 | 34 | 0.0022% |
| 1975 | #2,052 | 23 | 0.0015% |
| 1974 | #1,784 | 27 | 0.0017% |
| 1973 | #1,581 | 31 | 0.0020% |
| 1972 | #1,758 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 1971 | #1,977 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1970 | #1,884 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1969 | #2,396 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1968 | #3,060 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #2,581 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1966 | #4,413 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #2,590 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1964 | #2,631 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1963 | #1,948 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1962 | #2,344 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1961 | #4,549 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1960 | #2,837 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1959 | #2,509 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1958 | #2,993 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #4,367 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1955 | #2,942 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1954 | #4,275 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1953 | #3,379 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1952 | #3,060 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1951 | #3,654 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1943 | #3,953 | 5 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Rommel Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are a law unto itself. Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You are tolerant and like to help humanity. You are very active. You are generally warmhearted and gives freely of your time, energy, and sympathetic understanding. You have tolerance and acceptance of the frailties of others. Universal and humanitarian in outlook. This is very compassionate name. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Rommel's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Rommel's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.