Rosemary
Rosemary is a girls' name of Latin origin meaning “Dew of the sea, or rose and Mary.” It ranked #251 in the United States in 2025. From the Latin 'ros marinus' (dew of the sea), the fragrant herb long associated with remembrance.
how do you pronounce Rosemary?
ROHZ-mair-ee
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Rosemary mean?
The name Rosemary means “Dew of the sea, or rose and Mary.” It comes from the Latin language tradition.
From the Latin 'ros marinus' (dew of the sea), the fragrant herb long associated with remembrance. It is also interpretable as a combination of Rose and Mary, giving it double floral and Marian resonance.
where does the name Rosemary come from?
Wiktionary describes Rosemary as a combination of Rose and the name Mary, referring to the flower as a symbol of the Virgin Mary, first recorded in the eighteenth century; Wikipedia agrees it combines Rose and Mary. Only after flower names became common in the mid-nineteenth century did it also come to evoke the herb rosemary, from the Latin ros marinus, dew of the sea — so the two readings arose in that order rather than as equally original.
the history of Rosemary
Wikipedia notes Rosemarie is another variant and Romy a German nickname, and that Rosemary has ranked among the top 1,000 US girls' names for 110 years, with its greatest popularity between 1925 and 1950 when it sat among the top 150, falling to 754th by 1992.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #251 |
| 2024 | #301 |
| 2023 | #310 |
| 2022 | #365 |
| 2021 | #363 |
| 2020 | #442 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Rosemary?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Rosemary?
- Rosemary Clooney
- Rosemary Kennedy
what names are similar to Rosemary?
what names go well with Rosemary?
Sibling names that share Rosemary's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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