Rosemary
Girl name · #251 in 2025 · Uniqueness 27/100
Rosemary is currently the #251 girl name in the United States — 1,222 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #517, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 1,473 girls born in 2025 was named Rosemary.
The 143-year story
Rosemary first appears in the Social Security records in 1882, when 9 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1947, when 4,542 girls were named Rosemary — good for #80 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Rosemary per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Rosemary against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Rosemary in class?
Rosemary scores 27 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "popular" band. A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Rosemary is most common
Geography matters for names, and Rosemary is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Rosemarys were TX (108), CA (92), OH (54), NC (53), TN (49). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Rosemary
Statistically, parents drawn to Rosemary tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Elaine, Gwendolyn, Jane, Sylvia, and Lana.
ElaineGwendolynJaneSylviaLanaRosalieRosieCatherine
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Rosemary | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,222 | #251 |
| 2024 | 1,048 | #301 |
| 2023 | 995 | #310 |
| 2022 | 873 | #364 |
| 2021 | 846 | #363 |
| 2020 | 698 | #442 |
| 2019 | 771 | #402 |
| 2018 | 699 | #452 |
| 2017 | 699 | #453 |
| 2016 | 740 | #436 |
| 2015 | 607 | #517 |
| 2014 | 537 | #570 |
| 2013 | 563 | #531 |
| 2012 | 479 | #600 |
| 2011 | 439 | #651 |
| 2010 | 396 | #712 |
| 2009 | 404 | #716 |
| 2008 | 398 | #746 |
| 2007 | 406 | #720 |
| 2006 | 411 | #686 |
| 2005 | 362 | #745 |
| 2004 | 376 | #712 |
| 2003 | 403 | #658 |
| 2002 | 403 | #632 |
| 2001 | 401 | #624 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Rosemary a popular girl name?
Rosemary ranked #251 among girls in 2025 with 1,222 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #517.
When was the name Rosemary most popular?
Rosemary peaked in 1947, when 4,542 American girls received the name (ranked #80 that year). Since 1947 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Rosemary?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 1,473 newborn American girls was named Rosemary. It scores 27/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "popular".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.