Name of the Week: Rocco

 

 

Origin:

Rocco is the Italian form of a now obscure Old Germanic name, often Latinised as Rochus. There are three main theories as to its origin: 1) It could derive from the Germanic element hrok meaning "rest, repose." 2) The element might be the Old High German rohōn meaning "to roar" especially referring to a battle cry.  3) Most convincingly, Rocco may derive from the Old High German hruoh "crow, rook" which is also found as hroc in Old English and Old Norse hrokr. For stronger evidence, the latter Norse element was used as the genuine Scandinavian given name Hrókr/Rókr* and Rochus was possibly a cognate form. The DMNES also has several early examples of this element in use in the Latinised form Chroccus, later Roc/Rogue in Middle French. Furthermore, given that the element hraben, hramn "raven" was widespread in Germanic names — we still find it in Bertram, Ingram, Wolfram, Guntram and more — as well as other animals elements like wolves and bears, this sentiment seems likely.

Usage:

The name is famous for having been borne by a 14th century French saint — Saint Roch in French, Saint Rock in English and San Rocco in Italian — who travelled to Italy during a plague an tended the sick. Legend has it that, when he contracted the plague himself, he retired to the woods, where he was brought food each day by a dog, ensuring his survival.  For this reason, Saint Roch is considered to be the patron saint of dogs and the plague. Given the number of outbreaks of plague in the Middle Ages, it is little wonder that he was frequently invoked during outbreaks and that his cult spread quickly. He became a patron saint of the city of Potenza, Italy and was frequently interpolated into the roster of the Fourteen Holy Helpers across Europe. The Condado Section of the Florence Catasto of 1427 has two instances of Rocco as a patronymic name* and it also appears as a given name in Venice before 1600.* Rocco also appears in Croatia in 1597. The form Rochus also appears in Germany in the 16th century.  In Britain, the forms Roch and Rock were uncommon (except where the surname Rock was intended). Rocco itself didn't see usage until the 19th century, in which it was most confined to Italian families.  Records for Rocco in the England and Wales Birth Index: 1840s: 0 births 1850s: 0 births 1860s: 2 births 1870s: 6 births 1880s: 6 births 1890s: 3 births 1900s: 6 births 1910s: 9 births 1920s: 1 birth 1930s: 1 birth 1940s: 5 births 1950s: 18 births 1960s: 106 births 1970s: 53 births There was a big uptick in use in the 1960s, but this was still largely confined to Italian families so was most likely a product of heightened immigration in the 1950s and 60s.* In America, Rocco was more established thanks to high Italian migration. From ranking #777 in 1900 it gradually rose to a peak of #283 in 1922. After that, it declined to a plateau of between #400-#600 through the 1930s, 40s and 50s. By the 1970s, it began to decline, finally leaving the top 1000 in 1995.  From 1990 to 1999, Rocco was registered 29 times in England and Wales in total which wasn't enough to make it appear in the official rankings which list only names of 3 births of more per year.  The change came in 2000 when 9 boys were named Rocco, giving a rank of #1425. The following year it quadrupled in use to #544 (35 births). The main impetus for this was most likely the birth of Madonna and Guy Ritchie's son Rocco Ritchie in August 2000.  The name has been steadily rising ever since, reaching #212 (218 births) by 2008 and #146 (403 births) in 2013.  Rocco is still rising, ranking #135 (441 births) in 2016. The regional statistics for Rocco in 2016 highlights how it most common in the East, North East and South of England: N. East N. West Yorkshire E. Midlands W. Midlands East London S. East S. West Wales #105  #157  #142  #166  #147  #100  #205  #130  #124  #151 In Scotland Rocco ranked #148 in both 2016 and 2017. In America, Rocco returned to the top 1000 again in 2001 (perhaps, again, thanks to Rocco Ritchie's birth) and rose to a peak of #385 in 2009. It has since plateaued at #457 in 2017.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Saint Roch or Rocco (c. 1295-1327), Patron saint of dogs, invalids and surgeons. * Rocco Pozzi (1700-1780), Italian painter and engraver. * Rocco "Rocky" Fischetti (1903-1964), American mobster; cousin of Al Capone and friend of Frank Sinatra.  * Rocco Petrone (1926-2006), Italian-American engineer and NASA executive. Contemporary: * Rocco Landesman (born 1947), Broadway producer. * Rocko Schamoni (born 1966), German entertainer, author and musician. * Rocco Milde (born 1969), German former footballer. * Rocco Baldelli (born 1981), American Major League Baseball player and coach for the Tampa Bay Rays. * Rocco Botte (born 1983), American actor and filmmaker. * Rocco Quinn (born 1986), Scottish footballer. * Rocco Hunt (born 1994), Italian rapper. Literature and Other Media: * Rocco Parondi, character in the 1960 Italian film Rocco and His Brothers. * Rocco Barbella, one of Sergeant Bilko′s corporals in The Phil Silvers Show. * Rocco de' Medici, a master swordsman and long-lost heir to the late Duke of Florence in the TV series Leonardo.

Variants:

Roch (French, Polish), Roque (Spanish, Portuguese), Roc (Catalan), Rok (Slovene), Rochus (Dutch)

Pronunciation:

ROK-ō [key]

Possible diminutives:

Rock, Rocky, Ro

Sibling Names:

Ariana     Sadie     Lyla     Eden     Cora     Marnie  Sonny     Luca     Leon    Seth     Nate     Vinnie

Name Lists:

Slickly Continental   Guys and Dolls

 

If you like Rocco you may also like:   Roman, Arlo, Rex, Rudy, Dante, Cash, Vito, Nico, Ezra, Reggie

Thanks to Jana for requesting this name.