Rose

Rose, one of the old-time sweet-smelling flower names, has had a remarkable revival -- as a middle name -- with parents (e. g. Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck, Jon Stewart, Eric Clapton, Ewan McGregor) finding Rose to be the perfect connective, with more color and charm than old standbys like Sue and Ann. At this point in time, though, some parents are finding there are too many roses in the garden.

As a first name, Rose reached its highest point from 1896 to 1921, the early heyday of flower names, when it was in the Top 20, though it had been in use for centuries before. Rosy/Rosie is an irresistibly cheery nickname. There are any number of Rose offshoots, including Rosa, Rosetta, Roseanne, Rosanna, Rosemary, Rosamund, Rosalind and Rosetta.

Rose and Rosie have long been celebrated in song, and notable Roses range from Rose Kennedy to Rose Byrne and on-screen Roses have featured in a range of films and TV shows, from Titanic to Harry Potter to Golden Girls.