Rosemary
Rosemary was given to 1,222 girls in 2025, #251 among girls’ names; 163,523 Americans have been recorded with it since 1882 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 87,700 Americans named Rosemary and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (54% of everyone recorded); the median is 67 years old and half are between 42 and 78.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Rosemary by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Rosemary mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Rosemary is “a female given name from Latin.”
A combination of Rose + Mary, referring to the flower as a symbol of Virgin Mary, first recorded in the eighteenth century. It is found in continental Europe as Rosemarie and Rosa Maria. After mid-nineteenth century when flower names became common it may also refer to the herb rosemary, Latin ros marinus “dew of the sea”.
/ˈɹoʊzˌmɛəɹi/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Rosemary?
#251 among girls’ names, 2025
Rosemary rose from #517 in 2015 to #251 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 0.34 to 0.76 per 1,000.
4,542 babies in 1947, the peak
Rosemary peaked in 1947, when 4,542 girls were given it, #80 among girls’ names. The 1,222 births of 2025 are 27% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,222 | #251 | 0.76 |
| 2024 | 1,048 | #301 | 0.65 |
| 2023 | 995 | #310 | 0.62 |
| 2022 | 873 | #365 | 0.53 |
| 2021 | 846 | #363 | 0.52 |
| 2020 | 698 | #442 | 0.43 |
| 2019 | 771 | #404 | 0.46 |
| 2018 | 699 | #453 | 0.41 |
| 2017 | 699 | #453 | 0.40 |
| 2016 | 740 | #436 | 0.42 |
Every recorded year (144)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 607 | #517 | 0.34 |
| 2014 | 537 | #570 | 0.30 |
| 2013 | 563 | #531 | 0.32 |
| 2012 | 479 | #601 | 0.27 |
| 2011 | 439 | #651 | 0.25 |
| 2010 | 396 | #714 | 0.22 |
| 2009 | 404 | #717 | 0.22 |
| 2008 | 398 | #746 | 0.21 |
| 2007 | 406 | #721 | 0.21 |
| 2006 | 411 | #689 | 0.22 |
| 2005 | 362 | #745 | 0.20 |
| 2004 | 376 | #712 | 0.20 |
| 2003 | 403 | #661 | 0.22 |
| 2002 | 403 | #634 | 0.22 |
| 2001 | 401 | #624 | 0.22 |
| 2000 | 397 | #631 | 0.22 |
| 1999 | 375 | #631 | 0.21 |
| 1998 | 395 | #609 | 0.22 |
| 1997 | 339 | #651 | 0.19 |
| 1996 | 421 | #555 | 0.24 |
| 1995 | 403 | #571 | 0.23 |
| 1994 | 402 | #572 | 0.23 |
| 1993 | 395 | #595 | 0.22 |
| 1992 | 420 | #561 | 0.23 |
| 1991 | 429 | #550 | 0.23 |
| 1990 | 472 | #508 | 0.25 |
| 1989 | 466 | #504 | 0.25 |
| 1988 | 431 | #512 | 0.24 |
| 1987 | 455 | #477 | 0.26 |
| 1986 | 473 | #455 | 0.28 |
| 1985 | 512 | #431 | 0.30 |
| 1984 | 490 | #430 | 0.29 |
| 1983 | 489 | #433 | 0.29 |
| 1982 | 532 | #420 | 0.31 |
| 1981 | 565 | #401 | 0.34 |
| 1980 | 576 | #395 | 0.35 |
| 1979 | 489 | #427 | 0.30 |
| 1978 | 453 | #442 | 0.30 |
| 1977 | 460 | #445 | 0.30 |
| 1976 | 497 | #406 | 0.34 |
| 1975 | 534 | #384 | 0.37 |
| 1974 | 624 | #348 | 0.43 |
| 1973 | 609 | #350 | 0.42 |
| 1972 | 617 | #357 | 0.41 |
| 1971 | 743 | #341 | 0.45 |
| 1970 | 797 | #331 | 0.46 |
| 1969 | 794 | #322 | 0.47 |
| 1968 | 876 | #296 | 0.53 |
| 1967 | 914 | #281 | 0.55 |
| 1966 | 1,122 | #254 | 0.66 |
| 1965 | 1,276 | #241 | 0.72 |
| 1964 | 1,629 | #214 | 0.86 |
| 1963 | 1,729 | #205 | 0.90 |
| 1962 | 1,939 | #195 | 1.0 |
| 1961 | 2,133 | #181 | 1.1 |
| 1960 | 2,192 | #181 | 1.1 |
| 1959 | 2,230 | #173 | 1.1 |
| 1958 | 2,223 | #171 | 1.1 |
| 1957 | 2,275 | #168 | 1.1 |
| 1956 | 2,066 | #175 | 1.0 |
| 1955 | 2,015 | #171 | 1.0 |
| 1954 | 2,192 | #160 | 1.1 |
| 1953 | 2,432 | #147 | 1.3 |
| 1952 | 2,787 | #130 | 1.5 |
| 1951 | 3,345 | #109 | 1.9 |
| 1950 | 3,455 | #101 | 2.0 |
| 1949 | 3,633 | #98 | 2.1 |
| 1948 | 3,870 | #90 | 2.3 |
| 1947 | 4,542 | #80 | 2.6 |
| 1946 | 4,486 | #74 | 2.9 |
| 1945 | 3,500 | #79 | 2.7 |
| 1944 | 2,744 | #99 | 2.1 |
| 1943 | 2,966 | #97 | 2.1 |
| 1942 | 3,005 | #92 | 2.2 |
| 1941 | 2,677 | #94 | 2.2 |
| 1940 | 2,874 | #85 | 2.5 |
| 1939 | 2,612 | #93 | 2.4 |
| 1938 | 2,681 | #95 | 2.4 |
| 1937 | 2,307 | #110 | 2.2 |
| 1936 | 2,148 | #111 | 2.1 |
| 1935 | 2,394 | #97 | 2.3 |
| 1934 | 2,132 | #111 | 2.0 |
| 1933 | 2,227 | #102 | 2.2 |
| 1932 | 2,483 | #100 | 2.3 |
| 1931 | 2,722 | #88 | 2.6 |
| 1930 | 3,151 | #82 | 2.8 |
| 1929 | 3,107 | #80 | 2.8 |
| 1928 | 2,972 | #88 | 2.6 |
| 1927 | 3,153 | #86 | 2.6 |
| 1926 | 2,900 | #95 | 2.4 |
| 1925 | 2,755 | #103 | 2.3 |
| 1924 | 2,734 | #106 | 2.2 |
| 1923 | 2,427 | #110 | 2.0 |
| 1922 | 2,170 | #120 | 1.8 |
| 1921 | 2,034 | #128 | 1.6 |
| 1920 | 1,713 | #141 | 1.4 |
| 1919 | 1,330 | #166 | 1.2 |
| 1918 | 1,259 | #171 | 1.1 |
| 1917 | 1,124 | #176 | 1.0 |
| 1916 | 996 | #184 | 1.0 |
| 1915 | 820 | #201 | 0.83 |
| 1914 | 563 | #225 | 0.74 |
| 1913 | 388 | #246 | 0.62 |
| 1912 | 298 | #259 | 0.53 |
| 1911 | 160 | #312 | 0.38 |
| 1910 | 141 | #329 | 0.36 |
| 1909 | 123 | #328 | 0.35 |
| 1908 | 91 | #380 | 0.27 |
| 1907 | 87 | #382 | 0.27 |
| 1906 | 61 | #441 | 0.21 |
| 1905 | 64 | #424 | 0.22 |
| 1904 | 54 | #443 | 0.20 |
| 1903 | 48 | #464 | 0.18 |
| 1902 | 37 | #535 | 0.14 |
| 1901 | 29 | #589 | 0.12 |
| 1900 | 40 | #539 | 0.13 |
| 1899 | 23 | #660 | 0.10 |
| 1898 | 29 | #608 | 0.11 |
| 1897 | 29 | #563 | 0.12 |
| 1896 | 18 | #784 | 0.08 |
| 1895 | 23 | #656 | 0.10 |
| 1894 | 12 | #946 | 0.05 |
| 1893 | 23 | #612 | 0.11 |
| 1892 | 16 | #755 | 0.08 |
| 1891 | 11 | #882 | 0.06 |
| 1890 | 16 | #689 | 0.08 |
| 1889 | 14 | #715 | 0.08 |
| 1888 | 8 | #1,021 | 0.04 |
| 1887 | 11 | #723 | 0.08 |
| 1886 | 11 | #726 | 0.08 |
| 1885 | 5 | #1,176 | 0.04 |
| 1884 | 7 | #912 | 0.05 |
| 1883 | 8 | #749 | 0.07 |
| 1882 | 9 | #669 | 0.08 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Rosemary a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Rosemary has been given almost only to girls: 358 boys in 144 years of records.
Girls and boys named Rosemary: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Rosemary, and how old are they?
87,700 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 54% of the 163,523 Americans ever recorded as Rosemary. The median Rosemary alive today is 67 years old; half are between 42 and 78.
The 2020 Census counted 112,645 people named Rosemary (112,543 women and girls, 102 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 96,744 born in the U.S. The Census count is 16% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 14,700 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 38,400 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 10,500 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 7,170 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 6,320 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 10,200 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Rosemary born?
The states with the most babies named Rosemary are New York, Illinois and Pennsylvania, with 29% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 20,166 | #419 | 1.4× |
| Illinois | 12,883 | #322 | 1.5× |
| Pennsylvania | 12,638 | #287 | 1.2× |
| California | 12,130 | #358 | 1.1× |
| Ohio | 10,679 | #216 | 1.3× |
| Michigan | 8,595 | #216 | 1.3× |
| Texas | 7,658 | #316 | 0.7× |
| New Jersey | 5,974 | #563 | 1.2× |
| Indiana | 5,834 | #186 | 1.4× |
| Massachusetts | 5,465 | #243 | 1.1× |
Where Rosemary is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Rosemary is most over-represented in Illinois: since 1910 it was given 1.5 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Rosemary with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 7 names spelled alike, given to 215,986 babies since 1880, Rosemary is the most given (76% of them). In 2025 it was given to 1,222 of their 1,365 babies (90%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Rosemary
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Rosemary and names like it
- Compare Rosemary and RosemarieBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1940sRosemary peaked in 1947.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Rosemary since 1910.
- Latin namesWiktionary’s origin for Rosemary: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1947The year the most babies were named Rosemary.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Rosemary alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with RMost given first.