Wikipedia

Roger

Also found in: Dictionary, Medical, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Roger (disambiguation).
Roger
Roger de Llúria.jpg
Pronunciation/ˈrɒdʒər, ˈroʊdʒər/[1]
GenderMasculine
Language(s)English
Origin
Language(s)Germanic
Derivationhrōd + gār, gēr
Meaning"fame", "renown" + "spear", "lance" literally - "famous spear"
Other names
Variant form(s)Rodger, Rüdiger, Rutger
See alsoRobert, Rudolph, Rodney, Roderick

Roger is a given name, usually masculine, 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, χrōþi ("fame", "renown", "honour") and gār, gēr ("spear", "lance") (Hrōþigēraz). The name was introduced into England by the Normans.[2] In Normandy, the Frankish name had been reinforced by the Old Norse cognate Hróðgeirr.[3] 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 that is closer to the name’s origin is Rodger.[4]

Slang and other uses

Roger is also a short version of the term "Jolly Roger", which refers to a black flag with a white skull and crossbones, formerly used by sea pirates since as early as 1723.

From c. 1650 up to c. 1870, Roger was slang for the word "penis".[5][6][7] In Under Milk Wood, Dylan Thomas writes "jolly, rodgered" suggesting both the sexual double entendre and the pirate term "Jolly Roger".[8]

In 19th-century England, Roger was slang for another term, the cloud of toxic green gas that swept through the chlorine bleach factories periodically.[9]

From circa 1940 in US and UK wartime communication, "Roger" came to represent "R" when spelling out a word. "R" is the first letter in "received", used to acknowledge understanding a message. This spread to civilian usage as "ROGER" replaced "received" in spoken usage in air traffic radio parlance by 1950.

Spellings

The following forenames are related to the English given name Roger:

People

Given name

Medieval period

See also All pages with titles beginning with Roger de, All pages with titles beginning with Roger of and All pages with titles 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 Borsa (1060/61–1111), Norman Duke of Apulia and Calabria
  • 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 King of Sicily and Africa, one of the principal commanders of Second Crusade
  • 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 (c. 1245–1305), Italian admiral
  • Roger Bacon, English philosopher
  • Roger Bigod of Norfolk (died 1107), Norman knight who participated in the Norman Conquest of England
  • Roger Frugardi (c. 1140 – c. 1195), Salernitan surgeon
  • Roger Norreis (died c. 1224), Abbot of Evesham
  • Roger of Salisbury (died 1139), also known as Roger le Poer, Norman Bishop of Salisbury and Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper of England
  • Roger of Worcester from 1163 to 1179
  • Roger, 4th Earl of March 1374 - 1398

Modern era

Surname

  • Neil Munroe Bunny Roger, English couturier, war hero
  • Charles Rogier, Belgian liberal statesman and a leader in the Belgian Revolution, Prime Minister of Belgium
  • Christophe Roger-Vasselin (born 1957), French former tennis player, father of Édouard
  • Dimitri Roger, rapper known as Rich The Kid
  • Édouard Roger-Vasselin (born 1983), French tennis player, son of Christophe
  • Julius Roger (1819–1865), entomologist
  • Marie-Sabine Roger (born 1957), French writer
  • Mircea Roger (born 1947), Romanian Olympic rower
  • Pierre Roger, birth name of Pope Clement VI
  • Roger Roger (composer), French composer

Fictional characters

Animal

  • Roger (kangaroo) - Australian kangaroo with an extraordinary buff physique, aka "Ripped Roger" (circa 2006 - 2018)

See also

Citations

  1. ^ Jones (1986) p. 427.
  2. ^ Hanks (2006); Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 233.
  3. ^ Hanks (2006).
  4. ^ Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 233.
  5. ^ Slang usage meaning penis from c. 1650 to c. 1870 - information from the Online Etymology Dictionary.
  6. ^ Vulgar slang usage meaning to have sexual intercourse (mainly by men) - Oxford Dictionary
  7. ^ wikt:roger
  8. ^ Thomas, Dylan. Walford Davies; Ralph Maud (eds.). Under Milk Wood (The Definitive ed.). Phoenix, an imprint of The Orion Publishing Group. p. 66. Last explanatory note referred to page 3, (p. 3), of the original text
  9. ^ Sherard, Robert (1897). The White Slaves of England.

References

This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia® - the free encyclopedia created and edited by its online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of Wikipedia® encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information, please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.

Copyright © 2003-2025 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.