Named after the rue de Rome, which honours the Italian capital.
The street is one of 24 planned from 1826 around the place de l'Europe by the Swedish banker Jonas-Philip Hagerman and Sylvain Mignon, locksmith to King Charles X, mostly named after European cities. In 1860 the quartier de l'Europe was named after them; the place de l'Europe and the rue de Liège also gave their names to stations.