Total births
163,165
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.
- #301
- among girls today
- 163,165
- born since 1882
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Rosemary is the #301 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 #301 nationally and more common than 98% 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.
- #301 among girls today
- 163,165 born since 1882
- 1940s peak decade
- 98% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Rosemary is currently the #301 girls' name in America, more common than 98% of girls - 163,165 born since 1882, peaking in the 1940s.
- #301
- among girls today
- 163,165
- born since 1882
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Rosemary vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#301
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 98% of names given to girls today.
1940s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Rosemary was born in this single decade.
1947
Single peak year
4,542 babies were named Rosemary in 1947 - its busiest year on record.
How Rosemary compares
163,165 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 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 427x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Rosemary | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 163,165 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,542 | 48 | 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 at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1947
Current rank
#301
Active since
1882
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
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% |
New York share of Rosemary's total US births 12.4%
Even split
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? ▼
Rosemary has been given to 163,165 babies in the U.S. since 1882, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #301 as of the latest data. 4,542 babies were born in 1947, its single highest year.
When was Rosemary most popular? ▼
Rosemary was most popular in the 1940s decade with 34,297 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Rosemary most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Rosemary are New York (20,166 births), Illinois (12,883 births), Pennsylvania (12,638 births).
How long has the name Rosemary been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Rosemary since 1882 -- 144 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Rosemary? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Rose, Rosa, Rosie, Rosalie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Rose Girl
#114 500,586 births
Rosa Girl
#662 177,415 births
Rosie Girl
#310 85,556 births
Rosalie Girl
#177 84,049 births
Rosemarie Girl
#1842 51,426 births
Compare Rosemary side by side: Rosemary vs Rose Rosemary vs Rosa Rosemary vs Rosie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Rosemary
Ariel #300
78,697 births · Peak 1991
Ryleigh #302
35,139 births · Peak 2019
Maggie #299
123,078 births · Peak 2007
Tessa #303
55,926 births · Peak 2007
Gabriela #298
86,182 births · Peak 2003
Evelynn #304
16,064 births · Peak 2019
Sawyer #297
18,338 births · Peak 2018
Londyn #305
27,245 births · Peak 2014
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Rosemary: #301 Girls' Name - 163,165 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/rosemary. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.