Girls' name · since 1882
Rosemary
Rosemary has 163,165 recorded births since 1882 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1947 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #245 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #251 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 163,165
- born since 1882
- 1940s
- peak decade
Yes -- Rosemary is the #251 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 163,165 recorded since 1882.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rosemary has been recorded 163,165 times among girls since 1882, currently ranked #251 nationally and more common than 99% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1940s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #245 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #251 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 163,165 born since 1882
- 1940s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rosemary ranks #245 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #251 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 163,165 born since 1882, peaking in the 1940s.
- #245 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #251 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 163,165
- born since 1882
- 1940s
- peak decade
Rosemary's 163,165 recorded births place it above 99.66% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Rosemary compares
163,165 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Rosemary's all-time total is 434x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Rosemary | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 163,165 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,542 | 21 | 19,840 |
Rosemary's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Rosemary's SSA record in two at 1954 and the more recent half accounts for 36% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 64%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1885, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1947 peak of 4,542, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Rosemary popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 4,542
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Rosemary popularity over time - boys
358 total births recorded since 1923 (Rosemary as boys' name)
Rosemary by decade
1940s is the heaviest window (34,297 births, 21% of the file).
1940s was Rosemary's strongest decade.
34,297 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Rosemary births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 73
1880s
73 births
- 1890s 200
1890s
200 births
- 1900s 634
1900s
634 births
- 1910s 7,079
1910s
7,079 births
- 1920s
1920s
25,965 births
- 1930s
1930s
24,857 births
- 1940s
1940s
34,297 births
- 1950s
1950s
25,020 births
- 1960s
1960s
14,604 births
- 1970s 5,823
1970s
5,823 births
- 1980s 4,989
1980s
4,989 births
- 1990s 4,051
1990s
4,051 births
- 2000s 3,961
2000s
3,961 births
- 2010s 5,930
2010s
5,930 births
- 2020s 5,682
2020s
5,682 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 34,297 births (21% of all-time use).
How Rosemary compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Rosemary's total volume
Rosemary by state
Where Rosemary concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 20,166 | 12.4% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 12,883 | 7.9% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 12,638 | 7.7% |
| #4 | California | | 12,130 | 7.4% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 10,679 | 6.5% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 8,595 | 5.3% |
| #7 | Texas | | 7,658 | 4.7% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 5,974 | 3.7% |
20,166 of 163,165 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Rosemary appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Rosemary? ▼
Where does Rosemary sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Rosemary most popular? ▼
Where is Rosemary most popular? ▼
How long has the name Rosemary been used? ▼
What names are similar to Rosemary? ▼
What to do with Rosemary's data
- Rosemary's decade-level peak was the 1940s (34,297 total births); usage has since declined to 5,682 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Rosemarys (20,166 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Rosemary
Nearby Names Like Rosemary
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rosemary
Compare Rosemary side by side: Rosemary vs Rose Rosemary vs Rosa Rosemary vs Rosie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Rosemary
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Rosemary: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1947)
Similar record span (~143 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1882–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Rosemary draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.