Given name & surname
Rosetta
“horse”·“fame”
Rosetta is a variant of Rose. The rose flower is one clear association. Proposed Germanic roots include words for “horse” or “fame,” so one explanation need not cover every historical use.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Rosetta is a variant of Rose. The rose flower is one clear association. Proposed Germanic roots include words for “horse” or “fame,” so one explanation need not cover every historical use.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Rosetta is a variant of Rose. Rose’s flower association connects it with Latin rosa. Some medieval uses may instead continue shortened Germanic names.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Italian use, Rosetta is used as an affectionate form of Rosa. Rosetta is a variant of Rose. The shared background comes through Rose: Rose may combine several histories: the flower word, its religious symbolism, and shortened Germanic compounds. Rose can also serve as a short form of longer Ros- names.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Rosetta is a variant of Rose. The history of Rose gives this family its wider story. Rose was used in the Middle Ages, with the Latinized form Rohesia appearing in medieval documents.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Rosetta through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 28,205
- 44 boys · 28,161 girls
- Most popular year
- 1948
- 578 babies
- 2025
- 48
- #3,289 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −10%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 48 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,289 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 10.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 578 in 1948. In 2025, Florida and Pennsylvania shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (5 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,741 as a first name in 2020; 503 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.
Rosetta’s family of names
In Italian usage, Rosetta is a diminutive of Rosa. Rosetta has a related form in Rose. Rosetta is an affectionate form of Rosa.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Rosetta
- Sister Rosetta TharpeAmerican gospel musician (1915–1973)
- Rosetta LoyItalian writer (1931–2022)
- Patricia CarliItalian-French singerborn 1938
- Rosetta CattaneoItalian sprinter1919–1988
- Rosetta TofanoItalian actress (1902-1960)
- Rosetta DouglassAfrican-American teacher and activist1839–1906
- Rosetta GagliardiItalian female tennis player1895–1973
- Rosetta CalavettaItalian actress and voice actress (1914-1993)
- Rosetta Pampaninisinger (1896–1973)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Rosetta, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Marita
“star of the sea” · “from the sea of bitterness”
>99% girls
Laretta
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Rosemarie
“the dew of the sea” · “resembling a bitter rose”
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Cherry
“resembling a fruit-bearing tree”
>99% girls
Loretta
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Ilene
“the light-bearer; from the green meadow”
>99% girls
Lewana
“of the white moon”
>99% girls
Marylou
“star of the sea” · “from the sea of bitterness”
>99% girls