Roshelle
Feminine · “The little rock”
Roshelle writes with an s the sound that French writes with a ch, and the name underneath means the little rock — a town built on one, on the Atlantic coast.
How old is the name Roshelle?
Roshelle first appears in US birth records in 1952 — 73 years ago. The typical Roshelle alive today was born around 1980, making them about 45 years old. About 800 people named Roshelle are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Roshelle most popular?
Roshelle peaked in 1972, reaching #2451 nationally. See the whole 1972 chart.
Where it comes from
From La Rochelle to Roshelle
The story of Roshelle
French and English disagree about two letter pairs and the disagreement causes endless trouble. French ch says sh — Charlotte, Chantal, machine, chef — while English ch says the sound in church, and English sh says what French ch says. So every French name borrowed into English arrives with a spelling that English readers will get wrong unless they know better, and the respellings that follow are not corruptions but corrections: writing sh where the sound is sh. This name is one of them, and its bearer will spend her life being written the French way by people who think they are being careful.
Meaning
The little rock
The French place name is built on a word for a rock with a diminutive ending. The respelling here changes only which letters carry the sh sound; French uses ch for it, English uses sh, and both are doing the same job.
How the name formed
- La Rochelle
- Rochelle
- Roshelle
Related forms: Rochelle
Pronouncing Roshelle
roh-SHELL
Two syllables with the stress at the back. Identical to Rochelle.
Nicknames for Roshelle
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
- 1952
- Most girls named
- 199033 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2451reached in 1972
- Change vs 2010
- 0.0%5 in 2019, 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.
Roshelle in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Rochelle in French — same name
Roshelles among us
people named Roshelle are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Roshelle 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
- The spelling tells an English reader exactly how to say it.
- The back stress gives it a strong finish.
- The meaning is concrete and attached to a real place.
- Rochelle is the standard spelling and hers will be corrected to it.
- The French origin is invisible in this spelling.
- Rochele and Rushelle are both nearby in the record.
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Roshelle
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Roshelles are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Roshelle are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Roshelle in 2025?
- Roshelle is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Roshelle with classmates?
- Roshelle 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 Roshelle? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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