Rose-adjacent Names

Rose

Latin

"rose, a flower"

Rose is derived from the Latin rosa , which referred to the flower. There is also evidence to suggest it was a Norman variation of the Germanic name Hrodohaidis, meaning "famous type," and also Hros…

Rosalie

French variation of Rosalia, Latin

"rose"

Rosalie hit its apex in 1938 and then slid straight downhill until it fell off the U.S. Top 1000 completely in the 1980s, only to spring back to life in 2009 as the name of a character in the…

Rosemary

Latin or English

"dew of the sea, or rosemary (herb)"

Despite appearances, Rosemary is not a "smoosh" name, not even a traditional one. The name derives from two Latin terms "Ros" meaning dew and Marinus meaning of the sea. The plant was termed dew of…

Rosalia

Latin

"rose"

Elegant and bright with plenty of flair, Rosalia is widely-used in Spain and Italy, where there is a Sicilian Saint Rosalia. The name Rosalia refers back to the annual Roman ceremony of hanging…

Rosa

Latinate variation of Rose

"rose, a flower"

As sweet-smelling as Rose but with an international flavour, Rosa is one of the most classic Portuguese, Spanish and Italian names , which is also favored by upper-class Brits, having an ample…

Rosalina

Variation of Rosaline, English

"rose"

A feminine and fragrant member of the Rose family.

Rosalee

Variation of Rosalie, French

"rose"

With sweet, sparky Rosalie revived and ranking in the US Top 200, this variant is also catching on. While some may consider it a modern, creative spelling, it has long been used in the US. In fact,…

Roselyn

Combination name of Rose and Lynn

Roselyn was a frequent member of the US Top 1000 in the early twentieth century until it dropped off the charts in 1954. It didn't return until 2003. This name takes Rosalind and makes it rosier. As…

Roslyn

Spelling variation of Rosalind

Spelling variations abound when a name is trendy, which Rosalind is not these days. We say leave Roslyn back in the middle of the 20th century and reclaim the original Rosalind.

Rosalind

Latin

"soft horse or pretty rose"

Rosalind has a distinguished literary history – used and popularized by Edmund Spenser and Shakespeare via one of his most charming heroines, in As You Like It . Along with a bouquet of other Rose…

Rosemarie

Combination of Rose and Marie

"rose flower + drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

Rosemarie had its moment in the sun back in the middle of the last century, when parents were looking for new ways to recycle traditional family names. So a child might combine her two grandma's…

Rosario

Spanish

"rosary"

Anglo parents are taking note of this Hispanic classic, thanks to actress Rosario Dawson and a character on Will & Grace. Poetic and powerful, it comes from the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary,…

Rosalinda

Spanish

"pretty rose"

Rosalind feels fresher now.

Rosaline

Medieval variation of Rosalind

Rosaline, which can be pronounced to rhyme with mine or mean in its final syllable, has a deeper, richer pedigree than it might seem. Rosaline was used twice by Shakespeare and was also used in the…

Rosella

Rosella can be seen as a nature name (a rosella is the name of a variety of beautiful Australian cockatoos and an Australian flower) or a diminutive version of Rose.

Primrose

English flower name

"first rose"

A quaint and quirky flower name, until recently considered a bit too prim for most American classrooms but brought back to life in recent years by the attractive character of Primrose "Prim"…

Roisin

Irish

"little rose"

No, the pronunciation--ro-SHEEN--isn't immediately obvious to the non-Gaelic viewer, but the sound of this shiny Irish version of Rose is pretty enough to make it worth considering. Very popular in…

Rosetta

Persian

"splendid"

Associated with the ancient Rosetta stone, this is also the pretty Italian pet form of Rosa.