Rosebud
Feminine · “a rose bud”
Rosebud is an English word used as a name, and it is also the most analyzed single word in the history of film. A man says it as he dies in the opening minutes, and the rest of the picture is a reporter failing to find out what it means.
How old is the name Rosebud?
Rosebud first appears in US birth records in 1888 — 137 years ago. The typical Rosebud alive today was born around 1921, making them about 104 years old. Fewer than a hundred people named Rosebud are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
When was the name Rosebud most popular?
Rosebud peaked in 1904, reaching #1092 nationally. See the whole 1904 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Rosebud
The film opens with the death and the word, and then spends two hours on a reporter interviewing everybody who knew the man, assembling a portrait that never quite resolves. The audience is shown the answer in the last shot and the characters never are, which is the whole point: the film is arguing that a life cannot be summed up in a word, while dangling a word that seems to sum it up. The director said as much and also said the device was cheap. It has been picked over for eighty years and it still works on a first viewing, which is more than most twist endings manage.
Meaning
a rose bud
The word is transparent. What a family meant by choosing it is not recorded, and affectionate word-names of this kind rarely come with an explanation.
Pronouncing Rosebud
ROHZ-bud
Two syllables with the stress in front, said exactly like the word.
Nicknames for Rosebud
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1888
- Most girls named
- 192139 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1092reached in 1904
- Change vs 1956
- 0.0%5 in 1973, from 5
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.
Rosebuds among us
Fewer than a hundred people named Rosebud are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Rosebud sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is instantly understood and impossible to mispronounce.
- Rose comes off the front as a short form and is a complete name on its own.
- It is genuinely rare on a birth certificate, which is most of the point.
- It is an ordinary compound noun, and a sweet one, which will be remarked on for a lifetime.
- The film association is immediate for anybody who has seen it and invisible to anybody who has not.
- It reads as an affectionate nickname to most people, so formal settings will ask.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Rosebud to the vote.
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What they receive
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Rosebud
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Rosebuds are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. Fewer than a hundred people named Rosebud are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
- How popular is the name Rosebud in 2025?
- Rosebud is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Rosebud with classmates?
- Rosebud will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More R names
The most-given names starting with R, all years combined.
Ruth#173 · Rebecca#349 · Rachel#250 · Rose#114 · Ruby#64 · Robin#704 · Rita#1285 · Rhonda#6116
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Rosebud? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Rosebud and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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