Rose

How to say it

/roʊz/

What it means

From the Latin rosa, the flower. Also possibly from the Germanic hrod ('fame'), giving the same English form for two different roots. The flower is the dominant reading.

Rose has two potential roots that converged in modern English usage. The dominant reading is from the Latin rosa, the flower (also the source of the word in most European languages). An alternate path runs through the Germanic hrod ('fame'), which gave us names like Roswald and Rosamund. Saint Rose of Lima was a 17th-century Peruvian mystic, the first saint canonized from the Americas. As a given name Rose was a top-20 US name in the early 20th century, faded for sixty years, and has returned since 2010. It's also one of the most-used middle names in the English-speaking world. Common nickname: Rosie.

Heads-up notes

• Pop culture

  Rose DeWitt Bukater (Titanic's Rose, Kate Winslet's character) is the dominant English-language association for parents naming today.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Saint Rose of Lima 17th-century Peruvian mystic, first saint canonized from the Americas
• Rose Kennedy Matriarch of the Kennedy family, mother of nine including JFK and RFK
• Rose (Titanic) Kate Winslet's character in the 1997 film

Spelling variants

• Rosa
• Rosie
• Rosalie

Names with the same feeling

• Lily Lily flower
• Ivy Ivy plant
• Iris Rainbow
• Ruby Red gemstone
• Violet Violet flower

See Rose from another angle