Roger (/ˈrɒdʒər/, /ˈroʊdʒər/) 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.
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".
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
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
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 Goldammer, Canadian bikebuilder
Roger Goodell, Current commissionner of the NFL
Roger Guerreiro, Polish football (soccer) player of Brazilian descent
Roger Hall (disambiguation)
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 Jouret, birth name of Plastic Bertrand, Belgian singer, musician and television presenter
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 Hale Sheaffe, British general in the War of 1812
Roger Sheaffe (politician), member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
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
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
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 (disambiguation):
Anita's Husband and love interest and owner of Pongo in Disney's animated film 101 Dalmatians
a boy of the same name
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
