Rocco

About Rocco

Rocco is an Italian name with Germanic roots, possibly connected with a word for “crow” or “rook.” Its exact derivation is uncertain. Saint Rocco's history gives it a longstanding place in religious tradition, while golfer Rocco Mediate supplies a recognizable modern bearer.

Meaning and international forms

The proposed Germanic root is hruoh, referring to a crow or rook. That explanation is more cautious than treating Rocco as an Italian word meaning “rock,” a resemblance created by its modern spelling.

French Roch, German Rochus, Spanish and Portuguese Roque, and Croatian Roko belong to the same international saint-name family. Rocky is an English relative and familiar short form.

Italian Rocco is approximately ROK-ko, with emphasis on the first syllable and a held double k sound. The final o is clearly sounded. Its short, strongly consonantal opening gives way to an open final vowel.

Saint Rocco in history and art

The saint known in Italian as Rocco is usually called Roch in English and French. He is associated with caring for people suffering from plague and with contracting the disease himself.

His story became especially important in periods when communities sought protection from epidemic disease. In religious art, a wound on his thigh often identifies him.

A painting by Paolo Morando in London's National Gallery illustrates this tradition. It formed part of an altarpiece commissioned in connection with a plague outbreak from 1510 to 1512.

The saint appears as a pilgrim, revealing his wounded thigh as an angel approaches. His pilgrim hat carries crossed keys associated with Saint Peter and Rome. A dog recalls the story that an animal brought him bread when he was isolated outside Piacenza.

These details explain why the saint's imagery often combines a pilgrim's staff, a wound, and a dog. They give Rocco a specific visual history rather than only a general religious association.

Rocco Mediate and golf

Rocco Mediate came close to winning the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. He and Tiger Woods remained tied after the regulation rounds and an eighteen-hole playoff.

The contest continued into sudden death, where Woods won on the first additional hole. Mediate's performance made the tournament one of the best-remembered episodes of his career.

He later won the 2016 Senior PGA Championship by three strokes over Colin Montgomerie. His week began with a round of 62 and included a crucial late bunker shot. The victory gave him the major title on the senior circuit that had eluded him in the 2008 playoff.

American popularity

Rocco's strongest United States ranking for boys was #283 in 1922, with 388 births. Its largest published annual count came in 2009, with 785.

There were 118 boys named Rocco in 2000 and 725 in 2010. In 2025, 679 boys received the name, ranking #459. That recent level is well above its use around the turn of the century, though its best ranking belongs to an earlier generation.

How popular is Rocco?

In 2025, Rocco ranked #459 among boys in the United States, with 679 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for boys in 1891; its largest annual count was 785 in 2009. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.