Entry № 8861 · Latin origin

Rosemary Rosemary — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ ROZE-mair-ee /
Gender
Girl
Origin
Latin
Meaning
"Dew of the sea, the herb"
Syllables
4
First recorded
Medieval (English)

A name that means "dew of the sea, the herb".

Rosemary comes from the Latin ros marinus — meaning "dew of the sea" — referring to the Mediterranean herb that grows wild along sea cliffs.

Rosemary was popular in the mid-20th century, peaking at #54 in 1944 — Rosemary Clooney was a major star. After decades of decline, the name is returning. Today it sits in the U.S. top 500 and is climbing.

Dew of the sea. The Mediterranean herb.

The name in its native script.

Rosemary
Transliteration
Rosemary
Pronunciation
/ ˈroʊz.mɛr.i /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Rosemary stands.

Rosemary does not currently appear in the US Social Security Administration's top 1,000 girls' names, so we don't publish a US rank or birth count for it. That says nothing about the name's standing elsewhere in the world — only that it sits outside the ranked US data we rely on.

Rosemarys before her.

Real people
Rosemary Clooney
American singer and actress.
1928 – 2002
Rosemary Kennedy
Sister of John F. Kennedy.
1918 – 2005
In fiction
Rosemary Woodhouse
Heroine of Rosemary's Baby.
1967 novel/1968 film

Names connected to Rosemary.

The number behind Rosemary.

6

The Nurturer

In Pythagorean numerology the letters of Rosemary reduce to 6, The Nurturer. This is a traditional interpretive system, not a factual claim about the name.