Given name & surname · also Latin
Rosemary
“the dew of the sea”·“resembling a bitter rose”
Rosemary is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “the dew of the sea” and “resembling a bitter rose”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “the dew of the sea” and “resembling a bitter rose”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1882. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Rosemary through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 163,523
- 358 boys · 163,165 girls
- Most popular year
- 1947
- 4,542 babies
- 2025
- 1,222
- #251 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +38%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,222 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 251 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 38.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 4,542 in 1947. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (108). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 112,645 as a first name in 2020; 191 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Rosemary’s family of names
Rosemary has an affectionate form in Rosie. Rosemary shares a linguistic root with Rosemarie. Rosemary has a related form in Rosamaria.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Rosemary has relatives in 9 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
11 related names in 9 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 16
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 9
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Rosmeryborrowing · Spanish
- Rosmaryequivalent
- MariarosaItalian
- Rozemarijnequivalent
- Rose-MarieFrench, Swedish
- Ros-MarieSwedish
- Ро́змариRussian
- روزماريarz
Show 1 moreShow fewer
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Rosemary
- Rosemary ClooneyAmerican singer and actress (1928–2002)
- Rosemary HarrisBritish actressborn 1927
- Rosie CasalsUS tennis playerborn 1948
- Rosemary MurphyGerman-American actress (1925–2014)
- Rosemary Radford RuetherAmerican theologian (1936–2022)
- Rosemary SutcliffEnglish novelist (1920–1992)
- Rosemary DeCampAmerican actress (1910–2001)
- Rosemary LeachBritish actress (1935–2017)
- Rosemary DunsmoreCanadian actressborn 1952
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Rosemary, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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—
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