NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Rosie

A feminine name derived from the flower rose, symbolizing beauty and purity.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Rosie is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Rosie popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #24, with 1,406 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2019, with 2,036 births.

This profile covers 35,558 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 69% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 39,072 living people in the UK are called Rosie. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Rosie ranked #24 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 1,406 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2019, when 2,036 girls were registered as Rosie.
  • Rosie ranks best in Wales in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #5 in 2021.
  • About 39,072 living people in the UK are estimated to have Rosie as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#24

2024

Births in 2024

1,406

Latest year

Peak year

2019

2,036 births

Estimated living

39,072

2026

Meaning

What does Rosie mean?

The name Rosie is a diminutive form of the name Rose, which has its origins in Latin and ancient Greek. Rose is derived from the Latin word "rosa," which originated from the ancient Greek word "rhodon," meaning a rose or a rose flower. The name Rosie, therefore, carries the symbolic association with the rose flower.

The rose has been a significant symbol in various cultures and religions throughout history. In ancient Greek mythology, the rose was closely associated with the goddess of love, Aphrodite. In Christianity, the rose is considered a symbol of the Virgin Mary and is often depicted in religious artworks and texts.

The earliest recorded use of the name Rosie dates back to the 13th century in England. It gained popularity as a diminutive form of Rose, which had been a common name among English women since the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest notable figures with the name Rosie was Rosie Dore, an English actress who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. She was known for her roles in Shakespearean plays and was a member of the King's Men, a prestigious theatre company of the time.

In the 19th century, Rosie Hackett, an Irish trade union leader and activist, played a significant role in the 1913 Dublin Lockout, a pivotal event in Irish labor history. She was born in 1892 and dedicated her life to advocating for workers' rights and better working conditions.

Rosie the Riveter, a cultural icon representing American women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II, was a fictional character whose image became a symbol of female empowerment and patriotism. The name Rosie was chosen for its widespread popularity and familiarity among American women at the time.

Another notable figure with the name Rosie was Rosie Batty, an Australian domestic violence advocate. After the tragic loss of her son in a domestic violence incident, she became a prominent voice in raising awareness and advocating for victims of family violence. She was born in 1962 and was named Australian of the Year in 2015.

Rosie O'Donnell, an American comedian, actress, and television host, has been a prominent figure in the entertainment industry since the 1980s. Born in 1962, she is known for her comedic talent, advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, and philanthropic endeavors.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Rosie over time

The chart below shows babies named Rosie registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Rosie, the clearest high point is 2019. The latest England and Wales figure is 1,406 births in 2024, compared with 2,036 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Rosie
05091K2K2K199620102024

Decades

Rosie by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Rosie was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #16 8,663 5
2010s #38 14,282 10
2000s #61 9,322 10
1990s #68 3,291 4

Geography

Where Rosie is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Rosie. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Rosie ranks best in Wales in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #5 in 2021.

South East
358
North West
303
South West
225
West Midlands
196
Scotland
167
East Midlands
163
Wales
112
North East
102
Northern Ireland
59

Across the UK

Rosie in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#16 in 2024

41 years of NRS records, 2,904 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#22 in 2024

28 years of NISRA records, 811 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Rosie

  • Rosie McClelland

    actor; singer; YouTuber

    British singer

    2006-

  • Rosie Woodroffe

    ecologist

    British ecologist

    2000-

  • Rosie Llewellyn-Jones

    historian

    British historian

    2000-

  • Rosie King

    voice actor; illustrator; activist

    storytelling activist from the United Kingdom

    1998-

  • Rosie Wrighting

    politician

    British politician, from 2024, member of the UK Parliament

    1997-

  • Rosie Mac

    actor

    English actress

    1997-

  • Rosie Tapner

    model

    British model

    1996-

  • Rosie Kmita

    association football player

    English association football player

    1994-

Related

Names similar to Rosie

FAQ

Rosie: questions and answers

How popular is the name Rosie in the UK right now?

In 2024, Rosie was ranked #24 for girls in England and Wales, with 1,406 births registered.

When was Rosie most popular?

The peak year on record was 2019, with 2,036 babies registered as Rosie in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Rosie?

A feminine name derived from the flower rose, symbolizing beauty and purity.

How many people are called Rosie in the UK?

A total of 35,558 babies have been registered as Rosie across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 2,904 more in Scotland and 811 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Rosie most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Rosie ranks best in Wales, where it placed #5 in 2021. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.