girl's name
Roxane
rok-SAN
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Letters 6
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 30,929
France
#104
2025 births
Roxane is a girl's name of Persian origin meaning "bright" or "dawn," borne by the Bactrian noblewoman who married Alexander the Great. It ranks 104th in France and is rising, and Rostand's play made it a French name rather than a Greek one.
- Roxane is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 2019, when 825 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 1,179 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1903.
Roxane over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 20 |
| 1910s | 5 |
| 1920s | 60 |
| 1930s | 65 |
| 1940s | 75 |
| 1950s | 195 |
| 1960s | 465 |
| 1970s | 1,285 |
| 1980s | 3,220 |
| 1990s | 5,035 |
| 2000s | 3,535 |
| 2010s | 6,325 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,970 |
What Roxane means
Roxane means bright, shining or dawn, from an Old Iranian root meaning light. The sense is luminosity rather than a specific brightness, and the same root sits behind the modern Persian rowshan, meaning clear or luminous.
Where Roxane comes from
Roxane comes through Greek Rhoxane from the Old Iranian Raoxshna, bright or shining, related to the modern Persian rowshan. Its bearer is Roxana, daughter of the Bactrian nobleman Oxyartes, whom Alexander the Great married in 327 BC after taking the fortress of Sogdian Rock; she bore his posthumous son and both were killed around 310 BC in the wars between his generals. The name reached French through Racine's Bajazet in 1672, but what fixed it was Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac in 1897, where Roxane is the woman Cyrano loves and writes for while Christian speaks his words. That play is why the name reads as French rather than Persian to most people who use it. The English spelling Roxanne carries an extra letter n and was popularized separately.
Roxane in use
Roxane ranks 104th in France with about 500 births in 2025 and is rising in our data, with a peak in 2019. It is almost unused elsewhere — 7,000th in England and Wales, 13,935th in the United States, where Roxanne holds the demand instead. Our records carry it from 1903, so its French life begins a few years after Rostand's play rather than with it.
How popular is Roxane?
In 2025, Roxane was given to 500 babies in France, ranking #104 that year. It is a rare choice.
Where Roxane is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Roxane
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Roxane also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Roxane over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Roxane
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.
Roxane 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 Roxane
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Roxane — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Roxane
What does the name Roxane mean?
Roxane means "bright" or "dawn," from an Old Iranian root meaning light.
Is Roxane a French name?
It is Persian in origin, but Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac made it thoroughly French in use.
Who was Roxana?
A Bactrian noblewoman who married Alexander the Great in 327 BC and bore his posthumous son.
What is the difference between Roxane and Roxanne?
Only spelling. Roxane is the French form; Roxanne is the English one.
How popular is the name Roxane?
In 2025, Roxane was given to 500 babies in France, ranking #104 that year. It is a rare choice.
Is Roxane a girl's or a boy's name?
Roxane is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Roxane most popular?
Roxane peaked in 2019, when 825 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Roxane?
Roxane is usually shortened to Roxy.
Is Roxane a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Roxane currently ranks #104 in France. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.