She and BFF Michele went to their high school more than a dozen years ago. Today you might just find her on the playground.
The name I have in reserve for a (no-I’m-not-pregnant) second daughter is today’s Baby Name of the Day: Romy.
Romy has been a staple in Germany for decades. I’m guessing she’s stale and uninteresting to parents in Munich or Berlin. But in the US, she’s positively novel.
The name is a contracted form of the botanical Rosemarie or Rosemary. The first famous Romy was born Rosemarie Albach in 1937 war-torn Vienna. As Romy Schneider, she became a star, appearing in many French and German films from the 1950s into the early 1980s.
Schneider won a pair of César Awards for Best Actress, and her memory lives on with the Prix Romy Schneider – an award given annually to the most promising actress in French film. She remains famous in Germany, too, where biopic projects are many and a TV award also bears her name. (The photo depicts a giant-size version of the statuette given to winners of the TV award.)
Most American parents probably first heard the name as Mira Sorvino’s character in Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. Lisa Kudrow played Michele. It’s not exactly a cinematic classic, but the story of lovable losers trying to reinvent themselves for their ten-year reunion is a familiar one. Naturally, they both end happily ever after. Katherine Heigl also took her turn as Romy in a 2005 made-for-TV prequel.
The name attracted more attention when Matt Lauer and his Dutch wife Annette bestowed the name on their second child, daughter Romy. Stylish Sofia Coppola’s firstborn is also Romy, born in 2006.
Another television reference is the actress who plays Finn’s mom on Glee, Romy Rosemont.
But most notable Romys are German-born, from the 1950s through the 1970s. The name has never registered in the US Top 1000, though Rosemarie peaked in the 1930s and Rosemary had her day in the Roaring Twenties.
Romy is a rarity, and that’s part of her appeal. But she also fits plenty of trends:
- From Chloe and Zoe to Olivia, o remains a popular letter;
- Like Sadie and Molly, she’s a nickname that seems substantial enough to be bestowed independently;
- She feels like a gender-neutral choice, even though she’s undeniably feminine. Parents attracted to Riley, Rory, Rowan, or Remy for a daughter might like Romy’s clearly feminine status.
Romy also surfaces in Israel as a popular choice, but I couldn’t confirm exactly when she caught on, or just how common she became. I did find a Tel Aviv eatery called Chez Romy, and references to Romys.
Romy could also serve as a short form of Romilly or Rosamund, but she stands nicely on her own. If you’re looking for a sparky name with just a little bit of history, Romy might be the one for you.
And so ends my birthday week of choosing names! Thanks for coming along for the ride. Melissa also gets credit for suggesting Romy and helping me settle on what I’d pick for today. It was harder than I thought! I realize now that I would NEVER keep writing if not for the suggestions sent my way. 🙂
I like Romy as a nickname for Rosemary or Rosemarie. I don’t think I would use it on it’s own, though. I like to use more substansial names as first names, then use all my favorite nicknames. I do like Romy, and think it would be cute to see on someone else’s baby-Just not mine!
I used to really like Romy but every Monday when I go to the pool, there’s a private school having lessons and there are about 3 girls called Romy in the same class so the name has just come to represent their kind of upper-class snobbery towards me now, it’s a shame…
I really like Ramona/Romola though, and they’re kinda similar.
I love Rosemary, but not so much Romy. My prefered nickname for Rosemary is still Rosie.
This nickname was one of the main reasons why I fell in love with Romilly (although we pronounce Romilly like CD-ROM, and Romy like Roam-y). I imagined myself with two little girls: Philippa and Romilly, Pippa and Romy, and the whole thing clicked perfectly in my mind.
By the time she came, though, we loved Romilly too much to introduce her as just Romy, so the full name stuck, and we never did transition to Romy, especially after big sister, 18 months old, dubbed her Ro-ro, which is *still* what she dominantly goes by at almost 4 1/2! There’s just no planning these things, I guess.
Anyway, all that to say I *love* Romy, and you should totally have a third child 😉
This is one of those names I really like, because it’s uncommon/familiar…but it’s too common for my German husband.
Thanks for the shout out! And happy belated birthday! I love Romy…it’s different without being too out there and a wonderful nickname for Rosemary.
Thanks for making such interesting choices this week! I love Rosamund and would have used it for Roseanna in a heartbeat if Mark had let me. Also, that way it would have been easier to come up with a nickname other than Rosie
My young cousin ( who lives in Israel, so yeah, definitely used there although I can’t find any info about it’s usage either) is named Romy, so naturally I adore the name.
Never met one here (Aust.), although I know several Rosemarys.
I can never tell if it’s supposed to be like “Roam-ee” or “Rahm-ee” because I will hear both from people. I’m not even sure which of those I like better.
This is one of those names that I really think is perfect for other families, but I just don’t get super excited about. (If that makes sense)
I’ll admit that Romy is not one of my favorites. You’re 100% right about “Romy and Michelle” being my first exposure to the name and I had an immediate dislike for it, which I cannot explain, but it lingers. While I would not go so far as to say I “dislike” it now, I could definitely qualify it in the “nope, hunh-uh, nah, no thanks” bucket. More for everyone else!