US Popularity Rank: 8428

Origin: British

Meaning: Roman fortress; Red fortress

Rochester is a boy’s given name and surname of English origin. A habitational surname, it was once used to denote people from the town of Rochester in Kent, England. The name is believed to derive from the Old English words cæster (Roman fortress) and hrōf (roof.) The surname may also derive from the town of Rudchester in Ovingham, England, which most likely combines cæster with the Old Norse rauthr (red.) You may associate this name with Mr. Rochester, the brooding romantic hero of Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre, which gives it a slightly Gothic feel.