The baby name Romilly sounds like a mashup of elegant Rose and sweet Millie, but there’s so much more to this rare, fascinating name.
Thanks to Jess for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
ON THE MAP
There are two likely sources for Romilly.
First up: geography.
France gives us Romilly-sur-Seine and Romilly-sur-Aigre. There’s even Romilly in Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. All the Romillys on record appear to be modest places, perhaps less likely to inspire a child’s name in the way that a better known place like Savannah or Cairo.
Still, a French place name is a reasonable source of inspiration.
In some cases, Romilly might come from an Old English word meaning spacious, combined with that familiar -ly ending, for a woodland clearing.
ROMILIUS
Roman legends tells of twin brothers who quarreled about where to found a new city. Romulus won, and so gave his name to Rome.
Chances are that it’s fiction, but it’s a good story. The family name Romilius comes from the mythological founder. There’s a minor patrician family known as the gens Romilia.
But, as it happens, this all goes back to France again.
Because Romilly-sur-Seine is said to be named for the owner of a Gallo-Roman villa. His name? Romilius.
This makes the baby name Romilly potentially gender netural, and it sounds like it fits with a boys name like Montgomery or Connolly.
NORMAN INVASION
In any case, the surname Romilly arrived in England following the Norman invasion in 1066.
There’s Robert De Rumilly – or maybe Robert de Romille or Romilie – born in Normandy, who came to England and held Skipton Castle in North Yorkshire, defending against Scottish invaders.
His eventual heir, Alice de Romilly, established Bolton Priory on the land after her son tragically drowned. A poem by William Wordsworth recounts the story, referring to “young Romilly.”
After all, the name imported smoothly into the English-speaking world.
There’s another Romilly family of note. British politician and reformer Sir Samuel Romilly was descended from French Huguenots who fled religious persecution for a new life in England. His son, John Romilly, followed in his father’s footsteps and became the 1st Baron Romilly in 1866.
Back to Samuelfor a minute. He put their surname on the map. A legal reformer, he was known for limiting capital punishment and advocating the end of slavery.
Many years later, a descendant named Esmond Romilly married one of the famous Mitford socialite sisters. Clementine Churchill, wife of Winston, was their aunt.
So it’s quite aristocratic, with centuries of use behind it, at least as a surname.
FROM LAST NAME to GIVEN NAME
Despite a long and storied past, as a baby name Romilly never quite caught on.
British artist Augustus John gave the name to a son. Born in 1906, Romilly John went on to serve in the Royal Air Force.
English journalist and television presenter Romilly Weeks has been a fixture in the UK since the mid-1990s.
But that’s not nearly enough to take the name into the mainstream.
And then, in 1999, actress Emma Thompson welcomed daughter Gaia, with the middle name Romilly.
A year earlier, future chef Romilly Newman was born in New York City. Her career started when she was just in her teens, with an appearance on Food Network Chopped‘s first junior version. She’s not a household name – yet – but it’s more proof that by the 90s, Romilly was on the most stylish parents’ radar.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME ROMILLY?
The baby name Romilly caught on first in the UK. While it’s never been especially popular, it’s not unknown. For English parents, it’s a little bit like Saskia or Leonie.
In the US, it’s even less common. It first debuted in the United States Social Security Administration data (SSA) in the year 2013, with seven births.
As of 2024, it reached a new popularity high. Twenty girls received the baby name Romilly.
Another factor to consider: Romilly shortens easily to so many popular nicknames. Romy, a newcomer to the US Top 1000, is an obvious choice. But there’s also Lily and Milly/Millie.
Of course, usage would have to double – again and again and again – before the baby name Romilly entered even the Top 1000 list.
UNDISCOVERED GEM
All of this makes Romilly a contender for parents seeking a distinctive choice.
It’s a successor to Kimberly and Mackenzie, an alternative to Rosalie and Elodie, and somehow not quite as out-there as Rhapsody.
The first name Romilly might be the perfect name, an on-trend, fits-in-/stands-out choice.
What do you think of the baby name Romilly?
Originally published on June 22, 2008, and substantially revised on December 13, 2011; July 12, 2024; and August 13, 2025.
I’ve just been sent over here by Elisabeth, whom I ‘met’ recently on another name discussion forum. I have a two-year-old Romilly, so I couldn’t resist commenting and offering my two cents. I am American, my husband is British and we were living in Scotland when our little Ro was born. We, too, had questions about the legitimacy of the name, but this site did a lot to answer them – perhaps you’ve already seen it. https://www.romilly.plus.com/romillys.htm It’s true that there is no definite meaning of the original placename, but I was happy knowing that it was a placename, and a surname, and had a good half-century of use as a first name before it came to us, albeit unisex use. It wasn’t ideal on the derivation front, but we were smitten. Plus, there was a thirty-something TV reporter called Romilly in the UK and my mother-in-law had another at the school she taught at. Both predated Emma Thompson’s Gaia Romilly, so I breathed another sigh of relief. We pronounce it with a short o, like CD-ROM, but with my husband’s accent, it’s somewhere in between, like raw-milly, which seems the truest to the French place name. Ours is Romy occasionally, but more often Ro or Ro-o, thanks to her big sister.
I will definitely poke around your blog some more. It looks great!
S’ok Catherine. I know it’s food-like, I just admire it from afar. I feel sorry for Titty and think Lettie is a cute nickname option. I was just looking for someone else who might admire it from afar. 🙂
Sorry Lola, don’t check back too often! Lettice I think is too overtly food-like. I’m not too fond of Letitia either. Once my boyfriend got an e-mail from a professor to all of his students; one of them was a “Titty,” which was an old nickname for Letitia if I’m not mistaken. I can only imagine the poor girl was really a foreign Letitia who had no clue what her nickname meant. But yeah, that’s enough to throw me off of it.
I agree that Romilly is super-pretty but, for me, that’s all it has going for it. I just can’t get excited about a name without much history or meaning. When it comes down to it, for me at least, Romilly is just a slightly more sophisticated Nevaeh.
It’s meaning is “walker” and it’s full of history. How can you compare it to an excuse for a name that is simply another word backwards?
Well … Romilly has some history. But it doesn’t have any significant history of use as a personal name. That’s a deal-breaker for lots of parents.
I LOVE Romilly! It’s such a feminine name that isn’t super girly or frilly. I think Romilly’s definitely a perfect name to grow up with.
I say ROM-il-lee but rom -IL-lee works too. Smush Romy (ROM-ee) & Millie and you’l have it.
How is it pronounced? RAH-mill-ee? RO-mill-ee? ro-MIL-ee? rah-MILL-ee?
Ro (as in Ron, not Rose) – mi (as in Mini) – lee. The accentuation is even on all syllables as in family.
Catherine, What do you think of Lettice, as a corrolary to Romaine? Lettice is the medieval form of Letitia and feels so much softer and feminne to me. I know it’s far too close to Lettuce, the vegetable, but am I the only one admiring this medieval beauty?
I was just thinking about Romilly the other day! It led me to Romaine, which I quite like, even though it’s a lettice. It’s the French feminine of Roman, according to BtN… Oh well, right, Romilly. I quite like it, but to get Romy I would use Rosemary and to get Millie, Millicent. So it’s in the “really cool but wouldn’t use” category for me. It’s a neat-o name, however.
Indeed! I have a Great Uncle/Aunt in Romilly-sur-Aigre , brother to my Grandfather. His only brother. So I have French cousins I’ve only met once or twice, ever! I’ve wondered before if it’s related to the gothic/German Romuald (to reign with glory) as well. I have an ancient relative in the family tree with that name.
I keep toying with usng it myself as I do have a connection to the place and seems to fit the theme I have going with my kids (they all have family surnames in the middle somewhere). Even though it’s not surname, it can be one, and that works for me. I’ve been loving Milly/Millie lately.
I think Romilly’s pretty, easy to figure out (not like Ghislaine, for example) and will age well on a girl. Romilly gets a :thumbsup: from me! What a great NOTD!