Rose
Feminine · “the flower”
Rose is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 500,586 girls against 2,118 boys since 1880. See Rose as a boy name
Rose was a Germanic name before anybody thought of the flower. The medieval English form was Rohese, brought over by the Normans, and it is built from an element meaning fame and one meaning kind or sort. The flower reading arrived later, took over completely, and nobody now hears anything else.
How old is the name Rose?
Rose was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Rose alive today was born around 1933, making them about 92 years old. About 204,000 people named Rose are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Rose most popular?
Rose peaked in 1911, reaching #14 nationally. Today it ranks #114, 100 places below that high. See the whole 1911 chart.
Where it comes from
From Hrodohaidis to Rose
The story of Rose
The flower carried a specific job in European convention: it meant silence. A rose hung or carved above a table declared that whatever was said beneath it was not to be repeated, and the Latin phrase for under the rose is still used in English to mean confidentially. Plaster roses in the ceilings of dining rooms and council chambers are the fossil of the custom, and so is the rose in the middle of a ceiling rose, which is now just a fitting for a light. So a name that reads as the softest thing in the garden is attached to an old and rather serious promise about keeping your mouth shut.
Meaningscholars disagree
the flower; originally famous kind
Both readings are genuine and they belong to different periods. The Germanic compound is the older source of the English name; the flower is what the name has meant to everyone using it for several centuries. Neither can be dismissed.
Cultural footprint
Rose Byrne (b. 1979) — Bridesmaids scene-stealer
Rose Leslie (b. 1987) — Game of Thrones' Ygritte
Rose of Lima (b. 1586) — First Catholic saint of the Americas
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
How the name formed
- Hrodohaidis
- Rohese
- Rose
Related forms: Rosa · Rosa · Rose · Róża
Pronouncing Rose
ROHZ
One syllable ending in a z. The final e is silent in English and sounded in Italian and Spanish, which give the name an extra syllable.
Nicknames for Rose
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
- 1997 — Titanic
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 19169,605 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #14reached in 1911
- Change vs 2022
- +0.5%2,386 in 2025, from 2,373
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Rose in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Rosa in Italian — same name
- Rosa in Spanish — same name
- Rose in French — same name
- Róża in Polish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York. INSEE rounds every published count to the nearest five for statistical confidentiality; the ranks are calculated from the exact figures. International figures from INSEE, Statistics Canada, Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland. Sources
Roses among us
people named Rose are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 674 born in 2025 was named Rose
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Rose has held the top-100 across 8 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Rose is headed
Rose should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Rose beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Rose in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- One syllable, unmistakable, and recognized in every European language.
- It has been in continuous use for the entire length of the written record.
- Rosie sits inside it as a short form with a completely different warmth.
- It is currently fashionable again, so a child may not be the only one nearby.
- It is a very common middle name, which colors how it reads as a first one.
- The record holds a few boys as well, and the boy is much the smaller side.
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What they receive
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Rose
Feminine · #114 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Roses are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 204,000 people named Rose are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Rose in 2025?
- Rose ranks #114 among US girl names in 2025, with 2,386 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Rose?
- About 1 in every 674 US girls born in 2025 was named Rose — 2,386 in all.
- Will my child share the name Rose with classmates?
- Rose will almost certainly be the only one in school.
- What explains the spikes and dips on Rose's chart?
- Rose climbed after 1997 — Titanic.
Ranked beside Rose
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Cora#113 · Eliza#115 · Raelynn#116 · Margaret#112 · Alaia#117 · Catalina#111 · Juliette#110 · Brooklyn#118
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Rose? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Rose and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration; international figures from national statistics agencies. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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