Roger facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roger
Roger of Lauria
Pronunciation	/ˈrɒdʒər, ˈroʊdʒər/
Gender	Masculine
Origin
Language(s)	English
Derivation	hrōd + gār, gēr
Meaning	"fame", "renown" + "spear", "lance" literally - "famous spear"
Other names
Variant form(s)	Rodger, Rüdiger, Rutger
Related pages	Robert, Rudolph, Rodney, Roderick

Roger is a popular boy's name and also a family name. It comes from old French names like Roger and Rogier. These names have Germanic roots.

The name Roger means something like "famous spear" or "renowned warrior." It combines two old words: hrōd, meaning "fame" or "honor," and gār or gēr, meaning "spear" or "lance."

The name Roger first came to England with the Normans. In Normandy, a similar Old Norse name, Hróðgeirr, also helped make it popular. Roger became a very common name during the Middle Ages. A similar version of the name is Rodger.

Other Uses of "Roger"

The word "Roger" has been used in a few interesting ways over time.

Slang and Communication

In the 1800s in England, "Roger" was a slang word. It described a dangerous cloud of green gas that sometimes appeared in factories making chlorine bleach.

Later, around the 1940s, during World War II, "Roger" became part of military communication. It stood for the letter "R" in the military alphabet. Since "R" is the first letter of "received," saying "Roger" meant "message received and understood." This use became common in everyday talk, especially in air traffic control, by the 1950s.

Nickname

The name "Hodge" used to mean "rustic" or "country person." It came from "Hoge," which was a nickname for Roger in the Middle English period.

Famous People Named Roger

Many important and well-known people throughout history have been named Roger.

Kings and Rulers

• Hrothgar: A legendary Danish king who lived around the early 500s AD.
• Roger I of Sicily: A Norman ruler of Sicily.
• Roger II of Sicily (1095–1154): A powerful Norman King of Sicily and parts of Africa. He was also a main leader in the Second Crusade.
• Roger III of Sicily (1175–1193): He was King of Sicily for a short time.

Other Historical Figures

• Roger Bacon: An English philosopher and scientist from the 1200s. He was very interested in how we learn and understand the world.
• Roger Bigod of Norfolk (died 1107): A Norman knight who took part in the Norman Conquest of England.
• Roger of Lauria (c. 1245–1305): A famous Italian admiral known for his naval victories.
• Roger of Salisbury (died 1139): Also known as Roger le Poer, he was a Norman Bishop and an important government official in England.

Modern Era Figures

• Roger Adams: An American chemist who won the Nobel Prize.
• Roger Ailes: An American television executive.
• Roger Angell (1920–2022): An American writer and editor.
• Roger Bannister: A British athlete who was the first person to run a mile in under four minutes.
• Roger "Syd" Barrett: One of the founders of the famous rock band Pink Floyd.
• Roger Bart: An American actor and singer.
• Roger Binny: A well-known Indian cricketer.
• Roger Chaffee: An American astronaut.
• Roger Clemens: A famous American baseball player.
• Roger Corman: An American film director and producer.
• Roger Daltrey: The lead singer of the British rock band The Who.
• Roger Ebert (1942–2013): A highly respected American film critic and writer.
• Roger Federer: A Swiss tennis superstar, considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
• Roger Glover: A Welsh/English musician, known as the bassist for the band Deep Purple.
• Roger Goodell: The commissioner of the NFL (National Football League) in the United States.
• Roger Hodgson: A British singer and songwriter, known from the band Supertramp.
• Roger L. Jackson: An American voice actor.
• Roger Maris: A famous American baseball player.
• Roger Miller: An American musician.
• Roger Moore: A famous English actor, best known for playing James Bond.
• Roger Penrose: An English mathematical physicist who won a Nobel Prize.
• Roger Penske: An American businessman, especially known in motorsports.
• Roger Tory Peterson: An American ornithologist (someone who studies birds).
• Roger Roger (composer): A French composer.
• Brother Roger (1915–2005): The founder of the Taizé community, a Christian monastic order.
• Roger Scruton (1944–2020): An English philosopher and writer.
• Roger Sherman: An American revolutionary and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
• Roger Staubach: A famous American football player.
• Roger Taylor: The drummer for the legendary British rock band Queen.
• Roger Taylor: The drummer for the British band Duran Duran.
• Roger Troutman (1951–1999): An American R&B recording artist.
• Roger Waters: An English rock musician and songwriter, also from Pink Floyd.
• Roger Whittaker (born 1936): A British singer.
• Roger Williams (theologian) (1603–1683): An English minister and writer who helped found Rhode Island in America.
• Roger Arliner Young (1899–1964): An American scientist, the first African American woman to earn a PhD in Zoology.
• Roger Zelazny: An American science-fiction author.

People with Roger as a Surname

• Neil Munroe Bunny Roger (1911–1997): An English fashion designer.
• Charles Rogier: A Belgian statesman and a leader in the Belgian Revolution. He was Prime Minister of Belgium twice.
• Dimitri Roger: An American rapper known as Rich the Kid.
• Édouard Roger-Vasselin (born 1983): A French tennis player.
• Pierre Roger: The birth name of Pope Clement VI.

Fictional Characters Named Roger

Many characters in books, movies, and TV shows are named Roger.

• Gold Roger (Gol D. Roger): The Pirate King in the manga and anime series One Piece.
• Lord Rogers: A character from The Swan Princess (film series).
• [[Roger (American Dad!)|Roger (American Dad!)]: A main character in the animated TV show American Dad!.
• Roger: A character in the short story "Thank You, Ma'am" by Langston Hughes.
• Roger: A fun-loving character from the musical Grease.
• Roger the Dodger: A character from the comic The Beano.
• [[Roger (Hellboy)|Roger (Hellboy)]: A creature from the Hellboy comic series.
• Roger: A character in the novel Lord of the Flies.
• [[Roger (Tekken)|Roger (Tekken)]: A kangaroo character from the Tekken fighting game series, and Roger Jr., his son.
• Roger Ackroyd: The main character in Agatha Christie's mystery novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
• Roger Brook: A secret agent in a series of novels by Dennis Wheatley.
• Roger Chillingworth: The bad guy in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter.
• Roger Davis (Rent): A musician character from the musical Rent.
• Roger De Bris: A director-turned-actor in The Producers and its musical version.
• Roger Fox: From the comic strip FoxTrot.
• Roger Healey: A character played by Bill Daily in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.
• Roger Klotz: A bully from the cartoon series Doug.
• Monsieur Roger LeClerc: A character in the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!.
• Roger Murtaugh: A police officer played by Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon movies.
• Roger Rabbit: A cartoon character from the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
• Roger Radcliffe: A character in Disney's animated film 101 Dalmatians.
• Roger Ramjet: A cartoon superhero.
• Roger Smith: The main hero of the anime series The Big O.
• Roger Sterling: A character in the TV series Mad Men.
• Roger the Shrubber: A character in Monty Python and the Holy Grail who sells a shrubbery.
• Roger Wilco: The main character of the Space Quest game series.

Animal

• Roger (kangaroo): A famous Australian kangaroo known for his very muscular body. He was sometimes called "Ripped Roger."

See also

In Spanish: Roger para niños

• Roger Dodger (phrase)
• Roger-Vasselin (disambiguation)
• Roger (voice procedure)
• Ruggiero (character)
• Raja (similarly pronounced in some accents)