girl's name
Rosie
ROH-zee
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 132,505
the United States
#283
2025 births
Rosie is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "rose." It began as a pet form of Rose and Rosemary, and is now given as a full name in its own right, particularly in Britain.
- Rosie is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in US records in 1927, when 1,581 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival in US records.
- Today about 1 in 392 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Rosie over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. Rosie is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,485 |
| 1890s | 2,923 |
| 1900s | 4,833 |
| 1910s | 9,631 |
| 1920s | 14,409 |
| 1930s | 12,186 |
| 1940s | 11,496 |
| 1950s | 10,046 |
| 1960s | 4,942 |
| 1970s | 1,961 |
| 1980s | 1,324 |
| 1990s | 1,290 |
| 2000s | 1,209 |
| 2010s | 3,341 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,950 |
What Rosie means
Rosie means rose, the flower, from the Latin rosa. The name carries the flower's associations of beauty and love rather than any separate abstract sense.
Where Rosie comes from
Rosie is a diminutive of Rose, from the Latin rosa. The older Norman name Roese, which produced Rose in medieval England, may not be floral at all — it is usually traced to the Germanic hros, horse, or hrod, fame, and only merged with the flower word later when the two became indistinguishable in speech. Rosie emerged as a familiar form in the nineteenth century and gained lasting cultural weight from Rosie the Riveter, the American wartime figure of 1943, and from Laurie Lee's 1959 memoir Cider with Rosie.
Rosie in use
Our data marks Rosie as reviving: it peaked in 1927, faded for most of the century, and has returned to 24 in England and Wales against 283 in the United States. That decades-long gap between peak and revival is the usual pattern — a name needs to leave living memory before it reads as fresh.
How popular is Rosie?
In 2025, Rosie was given to 1,343 babies in England and Wales, ranking #24 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Rosie is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Rosie
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Rosie also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Rosie over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Rosie
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Rosie in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Rosie
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Rosie — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Rosie
What does the name Rosie mean?
Rosie means "rose," from the Latin rosa.
Is Rosie short for Rose?
It began that way, but Rosie is now registered independently far more often in Britain.
Was Rose always a flower name?
Not necessarily. The medieval Norman Roese is usually traced to Germanic roots meaning horse or fame, and merged with the flower word later.
How popular is the name Rosie?
In 2025, Rosie was given to 1,343 babies in England and Wales, ranking #24 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Is Rosie a girl's or a boy's name?
Rosie is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Rosie?
Rosie has 2 syllables.
When was Rosie most popular?
Rosie peaked in 1927, when 1,581 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Rosie?
Rosie is usually shortened to Rose and Ro.
Is Rosie a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Rosie currently ranks #16 in the United States. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.