Unisex name · Gaelic
Monroe
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: from the mouth of the Roe riverMonroe is a gender-neutral name that is of Gaelic origin: from the mouth of the Roe river. It is used in English and Scottish.
- Meaning
- From the mouth of the Roe river
- Origin
- Gaelic
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #467 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Monroe
As a gender-neutral name, Monroe is of Gaelic origin: from the mouth of the Roe river. It is used in English and Scottish.
Monroe is also a surname: the 618th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 53,483 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Monroe on our names that mean water or sea list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Monroe on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Monroe on 1 list.
“Scottish surname meaning from the mouth of the Roe river”
From Country girl names, surname names for Southern girls
How popular is Monroe?
In 2025, 658 girls and 157 boys in the US were named Monroe.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #467
- 658 babies, 409 per million girls
- Best rank
- #467 in 2025
- 658 babies that year
- Babies since 1928
- At least 7,266
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 1 per million |
| 1930s | 1 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 0 per million |
| 1980s | 0 per million |
| 1990s | 2 per million |
| 2000s | 14 per million |
| 2010s | 198 per million |
| 2020s | 357 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #692 | #683 | #604 | #597 | #541 | #526 | #544 | #530 | #573 | #467 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #1,262
- 157 babies, 92 per million boys
- Best rank
- #179 in 1882
- Most babies: 375 in 1921
- Babies since 1880
- At least 17,094
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 561 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 495 per million |
| 1900s | 530 per million |
| 1910s | 367 per million |
| 1920s | 290 per million |
| 1930s | 205 per million |
| 1940s | 125 per million |
| 1950s | 63 per million |
| 1960s | 39 per million |
| 1970s | 32 per million |
| 1980s | 21 per million |
| 1990s | 17 per million |
| 2000s | 17 per million |
| 2010s | 55 per million |
| 2020s | 84 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,377 | #1,345 | #1,486 | #1,513 | #1,484 | #1,104 | #1,548 | #1,343 | #1,280 | #1,262 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names with a similar meaning
- RioRiver (Spanish, unisex)
- SabrinaFrom Sabrina, the Latin name of the River Severn (Welsh, girl)
- CampbellCrooked mouth (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- DouglasDark river (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- KelvinFrom the River Kelvin (Scottish place name, boy)
- ShannonFrom Ireland's longest river (Irish Gaelic, unisex)
- AltonTown at a river's source (Old English, boy)
- AyrtonSettlement on the River Aire (English, boy)
- ChrysostomosGolden mouth (Greek, boy)
- ClodaghFrom a river in County Waterford (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- CrisóstomoGolden mouth (Greek, boy)
- DùbhghlasDark river (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- FordRiver crossing (Old English, boy)
- GangaThe Ganges river (Sanskrit, girl)
- GaramRiver, an old Korean word (Korean, unisex)
Middle names for Monroe
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More names from Gaelic
- GaelA Gaelic speaker, a Celt of Ireland or Scotland (Gaelic, boy)
- McKinleySon of Fionnlagh, white warrior (Gaelic, unisex)
- DevorgillaDaughter of Forgall (Gaelic, girl)
Monroe: common questions
What does the name Monroe mean?
Monroe is of Gaelic origin: from the mouth of the Roe river.
Is Monroe a boy or girl name?
Monroe is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 658 girls and 157 boys in the US were named Monroe, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Monroe come from?
Monroe is of Gaelic origin: from the mouth of the Roe river. Today it is used in English and Scottish.
How popular is the name Monroe?
Monroe ranked #467 in the US in 2025, with 658 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What middle names go with Monroe?
Middle names that flow well with Monroe include Eli, John, Luna, Rhys and River. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.