Girl · Germanic, through Old French and Spanish
Rosalind
Say it: ROZ-uh-lind
Meaning
From Germanic hros 'horse' and lind 'soft, gentle' or 'linden shield'. The reading 'pretty rose' (Spanish rosa linda) is a later folk etymology.
Disputedsharp disagreement, or a popular meaning that is not supported.
Shakespeare's heroine in As You Like It made the name a literary favourite in English.
Its wave through time
A revival, back after decades away
In the United States
- 26,365 babies given this name since 1888
- At its height in 1942, about 1 in 2,500 girls
- 152 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Rosalinde, Rosaline
| German | Rosalinde |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Rosalinda |
| Italian | Rosalinda |
Famous bearers
- Rosalind Franklin, British chemist
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Well-known works of literature
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.