Romeo

How to say it

/ˈroʊ.mi.oʊ/

What it means

Italian, from the Latin Romaeus, 'a pilgrim to Rome.'

Romeo is an Italian name from Latin Romaeus, 'a pilgrim bound for Rome.' Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet turned it into the word for a devoted, headlong lover, which is both its gift and its weight. It reads romantic and confidently Italian, and recent celebrity use (one of the Beckham sons) has nudged it into wider circulation. It pairs naturally with Leo and Enzo.

Heads-up notes

• Pop culture

  Shakespeare's Romeo makes the name shorthand for a romantic; some parents love that, some find it a lot to carry.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Romeo the young lover of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
• Romeo Beckham son of David and Victoria Beckham

Spelling variants

• Romero
• Roméo

Names with the same feeling

• Leo Lion
• Enzo Ruler of the home, or short for Lorenzo
• Dante Steadfast, enduring
• Lorenzo Laurel-crowned
• Matteo Gift of God

See Romeo from another angle