Roger
Quick Facts
Biography
Roger (/ˈrɒdʒər/, /ˈrəʊdʒər/) is a masculine given name and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names Roger and Rogier. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements hrōd ("fame", "renown") and gār, gēr ("spear", "lance"). The name was introduced into England by the Normans. In Normandy, the Frankish name had been reinforced by the Old Norse cognate Hróðgeirr. The name introduced into England replaced the Old English cognate Hroðgar. Roger became a very common given name during the Middle Ages. A variant form of the given name Roger is Rodger. The surname Roger is sometimes an Anglicised form of the Gaelic surname Mac Ruaidhrí.
Slang
Roger is also a short version of the term "Jolly Roger", which refers to a black flag with white skull and crossbones, formerly used by sea pirates since as early as 1723.
From c. 1650 to c. 1870, Roger was slang for the word "penis", probably due to the origin of the name involving fame with a spear. Subsequently, "to roger" became a slang verb form meaning "to have sex with", "to penetrate".
In 19th century England, Roger was slang for the cloud of toxic green gas that swept through the chlorine bleach factories periodically.
The name "Hodge" is a corruption of Roger in England, where it was used as a colloquial term by townsfolk, implying a rustic.
In Under Milk Wood, Dylan Thomas writes "jolly, rodgered" suggesting both "Jolly Roger", the pirate flag, and the slang for "penis".
Spellings
The following forenames are related to the English given name Roger:
- Arabic: روجر , translit. Rojər
- Belarusian: Роджэр , translit. Rodžer
- Catalan: Roger
- Simplified Chinese: 罗杰; traditional Chinese: 羅傑; pinyin: Luó jié; Jyutping: Lo4 git6
- Croatian: Ruđer, Rogerije
- Dutch: Rutger, Rogier
- Faroese: Róar
- Filipino: Rogelio
- French: Roger
- Galician: Roxerio, Roxer, Roxelio
- German: Rüdiger, Rutger, Ruetger, Rudgar, Ruotger, Routger, Rotger, Rötger
- Greek: Ρογήρος , translit. Rogéros, Rógi̱ros
- Gujarati: રોજર , translit. Rōjara
- Hebrew: רוג׳ר , translit. Rojer
- Hindi: रॉजर , translit. Rŏjara
- Hungarian: Rezső, Rogerios
- Icelandic: Hróar, Hróðgeir, Ragnar
- Italian: Ruggero, Roggero, Ruggeri, Ruggiero, Rugiero
- Japanese: ロジャー, ロゲル , translit. Rojā, Rogeru
- Kannada: ರೋಜರ್ , translit. Rōjar
- Hangul: 로저; RR: Lojeo
- Kurdish: راجەر , translit. Racer
- Latin: Rogerius
- Macedonian: Роџер , translit. Rodžer
- Manx: Roree
- Mongolian: Рожер , translit. Rojyer
- Nepali: रोजर , translit. Rōjara
- Norwegian: Roar, Roger
- Occitan: Rogièr, Rotger
- Persian: راجر , translit. Rājər
- Polish: Roger, Gerek
- Portuguese: Rogério
- Punjabi: ਰੋਜ਼ਰ , translit. Rōzara
- Russian: Роджер , translit. Ródžer, Rodzher
- Serbian: Руђер , translit. Ruđer
- Slovene: Rogerij
- Spanish: Rogelio
- Swedish: Roar, Roger, Rutger
- Tamil: ரோஜர் , translit. Rōjar
- Telugu: రోజర్ , translit. Rōjar
- Thai: โรเจอร์ , translit. Rochoe
- Ukrainian: Роджер , translit. Rodzher
- Urdu: راجر , translit. Rājər
- Welsh: Rosser, Rozier
- Yiddish: ראַדזשער , translit. Radzher
People
Only name
See also All pages beginning with "Roger de", All pages beginning with "Roger of" and All pages beginning with "Roger van" for people with these names
- Roger, Archbishop of Patras (in post 1337–1347)
- Roger (Archdeacon of Barnstaple) (in post from 1155)
- Roger (archbishop of Benevento) (died 1221)
- Roger (larderer) (died 1102), Bishop-elect of Hereford
- Roger (son of Dagobert) (fl. 1098–1108), Norman magnate who served the Byzantine empire
- Roger I of Sicily, Norman ruler of Sicily
- Roger I. de Sentes, 12th century French bishop
- Roger I Trencavel (died 1150), Viscount of Carcassone
- Roger I de Fézensaguet (1190–1245), Viscount of Fézensaguet
- Roger I of Carcassonne (died 1012), Count of Carcassone
- Roger I of Tosny (died c. 1040), Norman nobleman
- Roger II of Sicily (1095–1154), Norman ruler of Sicily
- Roger II Trencavel (died 1194), Viscount of Carcassone
- Roger III, Duke of Apulia (1118–1148), Duke of Apulia, Sicily
- Roger III of Sicily (1175–1193), briefly King of Sicily
- Roger IV, Count of Foix (died 1265)
- Roger IV, Duke of Apulia (1152-1161)
- Roger of Lauria, Italian admiral
- Roger of Worcester from 1163 to 1179
- Brother Roger (1915–2005), baptised Roger Louis Schutz-Marsauche, initiator of the Taizé Community
Given name
- Roger Adams, Nobel Prize chemist
- Roger Ailes, American television executive, Chairman and CEO of Fox News
- Roger Angell, baseball writer for The New Yorker
- Roger Avary, motion picture director
- Roger Bacon, English philosopher
- Roger Ballen, Photographer
- Roger Bannister, British athlete, first man to run the four-minute mile
- Roger "Syd" Barrett, founder of Pink Floyd
- Roger Berrio, Colombian weightlifter
- Roger E. Billings (born 1948), American entrepreneur and developer of high-tech products
- Roger Binny, Indian cricketer
- Roger Joseph Boscovich, Croatian-Ragusan physicist, astronomer, mathematician, philosopher, diplomat, poet, and Jesuit
- Roger Boylan, American writer
- Roger C. Carmel, American character actor
- Roger A. Caras, American wildlife photographer and writer
- Roger Casement, Irish patriot, poet, revolutionary and British diplomat
- Roger Chaffee, American astronaut
- Roger Chan, The Bus Uncle
- Roger Chao, Australian explorer and mountain climber
- Roger Christian (songwriter), pop music lyricist
- Roger Clarke (rugby administrator)
- Roger Clemens, a baseball player
- Roger Cook (journalist)
- Roger Corman, B-movie director and producer
- Roger Craig (baseball), baseball player
- Roger Craig (American football), American football player
- Roger Daltrey, lead singer of British rock band The Who
- Roger Davis (television actor), American actor
- Roger Delgado, British actor
- Roger Dobkowitz, producer and stats expert for The Price is Right
- Roger Donaldson, movie producer and director
- Roger Ebert, motion picture critic
- Roger M. Enoka, American neurophysiologist
- Roger Federer, Swiss tennis player
- Roger C. Field, Inventor, industrial designer
- Roger Galera Flores, Brazilian football (soccer) player
- Roger Fortin, Canadian boxer
- Roger Frampton, British Male Model
- Roger Frugardi, medieval surgeon
- Roger García Junyent, Spanish football (soccer) player
- Roger Gibbon, Trinidad and Tobago track cyclist
- Roger Glover, Welsh/English bassist, keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer.
- Roger González , Mexican singer, actor and conductor of Zapping Zone
- Roger Goldammer, Canadian bikebuilder
- Roger Goodell, Current commissionner of the NFL
- Roger Guerreiro, Polish football (soccer) player of Brazilian descent
- Roger Hall, New Zealand playwright
- Roger Hodgson, Former vocalist and songwriter from Supertramp
- Roger Howarth, American actor
- Roger Ilegems, Belgian track cyclist and road bicycle racer
- Roger Ingram, American trumpeter, educator, and author
- Roger Jackson, Canadian rower and academic
- Roger Jackson (wide receiver), American football player
- Roger L. Jackson, American actor
- Roger José de Noronha Silva, Brazilian football goalkeeper
- Roger Kettlewell, Canadian football player
- Roger Köppel, Swiss journalist
- Roger Machado Marques, Brazilian football fullback
- Roger Lloyd-Pack, British actor
- Roger Manganelli, bass guitarist for Less Than Jake
- Roger Maris, baseball player
- Roger Mayweather, ex-boxer
- Roger McGuinn, singer and guitarist for The Byrds
- Roger McMurrin, American conductor
- Roger Meddows-Taylor, British drummer for Queen
- Roger Michell, film director
- Roger Milla, Cameroon international footballer
- Roger Miller, American musician
- Roger Mills (racewalker), English race walker
- Roger Moore, English actor most famous for his role as James Bond
- Roger Moreira, Brazilian musician
- Roger E. Mosley, American actor
- Roger Mudd, TV journalist
- Roger Muñoz, Nicaraguan international basketball player
- Roger Penrose, English mathematical physicist
- Roger Penske, American Businessman
- Roger Tory Peterson, American ornithologist
- Roger Pierre (1923–2010), French actor
- Roger Price (comedy) (1918–1990), American humorist who created Droodles and Mad Libs
- Roger Price (television producer) (born 1941), English television producer
- Roger Price (Australian politician) (born 1945), former Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives (1984–2010)
- Roger Rees, British actor
- Roger Roger (composer), French composer
- Roger Sablonier (1941–2010), Swiss historian and writer, University of Zürich faculty
- Roger Sessions, American Music Composer
- Roger Sheaffe, British general in the War of 1812
- Roger Sherman, American revolutionary, signer of many famous documents, inventor of congressional system
- Roger Smith, American actor
- Roger Smith (executive) former Chairman and CEO of General Motors and the subject of Michael Moore's documentary film Roger & Me.
- Roger Staubach NFL Hall of Famer, 1985 class, Dallas Cowboys, MVP Super Bowl VI
- Roger Stone, American political consultant, lobbyist, strategist, and author
- Roger Sumich, New Zealand cyclist
- Roger Andrew Taylor, drummer for Duran Duran
- Roger Toussaint, transit worker's union official
- Roger Troutman, also known as Roger, R&B recording artist, singer for Zapp
- Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (born 1993), New Zealand Rugby League player
- Roger Vadim, French film director
- Roger Vangheluwe, former Belgian bishop, resigned following pedophilia scandal
- Roger Waters, English rock musician and songwriter
- Roger Whittaker, British singer
- Roger Wicker (born 1951), U.S. Senator from Mississippi
- Roger Williams (pianist)
- Roger Williams (theologian), co-founder of Rhode Island
- Roger L. Worsley, American educator
- Roger Wrightson, English cricketer
- Roger Zelazny, science-fiction author
Surname
- Neil Munroe ("Bunny") Roger, English couturier, war hero
- Julius Roger (1819–1865), entomologist
- Mircea Roger (born 1947), Romanian Olympic rower
- Pierre Roger, birth name of Pope Clement VI
- Roger Roger (composer), French composer
- Marie-Sabine Roger (born 1957), French writer
Fictional characters
- Roger (American Dad!), Roger the Alien, fictional character from American Dad!
- Roger, character in the short story "Thank You, Ma'am" by Langston Hughes
- Roger, a jolly prankster of the Burger Palace Boys from the hit 50s musical Grease
- Roger the Dodger, a character from The Beano
- Roger (Hellboy), a homunculus, is a character from the series Hellboy
- Roger (Tekken), a kangaroo character from the Tekken fighting game series, and Roger Jr., his son
- Roger Chillingworth, the fictional antagonist in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
- Roger Danish, a minor character in Arrested Development, Lindsey's high school counterpart and co-winner of the Best Hair Award
- Roger Davis (Rent), musician and ex-druggie of Rent
- Roger Fox, a character from the comic strip FoxTrot
- Roger Healey, captain/major played by Bill Daily in the I Dream of Jeannie 1960's sitcom
- Roger Hoyt, the main character on the short-lived series Life with Roger
- Roger Klotz, a bully on the cartoon series Doug
- Roger LeClerc, a character in the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!
- Roger Murtaugh, cop played by Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon movies
- Roger Rabbit, cartoon character from the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit
- Roger Radcliffe, Anita's Husband and love interest and owner of Pongo in Disney's animated film 101 Dalmatians
- Roger Ramjet, cartoon superhero
- Roger Smith, the main protagonist of the anime series The Big O
- Roger Sterling, co-owner of the advertising company Sterling Cooper, a character in the television series Mad Men
- Roger the Shrubber, a character in Monty Python and the Holy Grail who sells a shrubbery to King Arthur and Sir Bedevere.
- Roger, a pseudocharacter in Monty Python's Life of Brian whom the crowd wanted Pontius Pilate to release to make fun of his lisp ("Welease Woger".)
- Roger, a character in the novel Lord of the Flies, Jack's lieutenant and the savage tribe's torturer/hangman
- Gold Roger (Gol D. Roger), the Pirate King in the manga/anime-series One Piece
- Roger Walker, one of the central protagonists in the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome
- Roger Wilco (character), the fictional protagonist of the Space Quest game series