NameCensus.

UK surname

Rosie

A surname derived from the name Rose, likely given as an ornamental name.

In the 1881 census there were 484 people recorded with the Rosie surname, ranking it #6,939 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 862, ranked #6,507, up from #6,939 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Canisbay, South Ronaldsay and Burray and Wick. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wick South, West Kirkwall and Isles.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rosie is 862 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 78.1%.

1881 census count

484

Ranked #6,939

Modern count

862

2016, ranked #6,507

Peak year

2016

862 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rosie had 484 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,939 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 862 in 2016, ranked #6,507.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 546 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Rosie surname distribution map

The map shows where the Rosie surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Rosie surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rosie over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 324 #7,179
1861 historical 345 #7,398
1881 historical 484 #6,939
1891 historical 546 #6,925
1901 historical 520 #7,818
1911 historical 57 #27,099
1997 modern 753 #6,864
1998 modern 778 #6,912
1999 modern 778 #6,942
2000 modern 824 #6,625
2001 modern 764 #6,890
2002 modern 781 #6,910
2003 modern 742 #7,075
2004 modern 791 #6,740
2005 modern 778 #6,751
2006 modern 799 #6,638
2007 modern 798 #6,707
2008 modern 804 #6,716
2009 modern 834 #6,663
2010 modern 855 #6,657
2011 modern 849 #6,623
2012 modern 805 #6,796
2013 modern 820 #6,801
2014 modern 843 #6,699
2015 modern 844 #6,655
2016 modern 862 #6,507

Geography

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Where Rosies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Canisbay, South Ronaldsay and Burray, Wick, Edinburgh and Dunnet. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wick South, West Kirkwall, Isles, Caithness North East and East Mainland. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Canisbay Caithness
2 South Ronaldsay and Burray Orkney
3 Wick Caithness
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Dunnet Caithness

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wick South Highland
2 West Kirkwall Orkney Islands
3 Isles Orkney Islands
4 Caithness North East Highland
5 East Mainland Orkney Islands

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rosie

These lists show first names that appear often with the Rosie surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rosie

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Rosie, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Rosie surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Rosie household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Rosie is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Rosie is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Rosie falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Rosie is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Rosie, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Rosie

The surname Rosie is believed to have originated in Scotland during the 13th century. It is derived from the Old Norse word "ros," which means a promontory or a small peninsula. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a promontory or a small headland.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Rosie can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1296, where a man named Robert Rosy is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use and had become established as a surname by the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various Scottish records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which listed individuals who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One entry mentions a John Rosy from the county of Fife.

The variant spelling "Rossy" was also common in early records, and it is believed to have been derived from the same Old Norse root word. In the 16th century, the name was sometimes spelled as "Rossie" or "Rossey," reflecting the phonetic variations in different regions of Scotland.

One notable historical figure with the surname Rosie was Sir Alexander Rosie, a Scottish knight who lived in the 15th century. He fought alongside King James IV of Scotland at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.

Another prominent individual was John Rosie, a Scottish minister and theologian who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow and played a significant role in the development of Presbyterian theology in Scotland.

In the 17th century, the name Rosie was also found in various place names across Scotland, such as Rosie Moor in Aberdeenshire and Rosie Glen in Perthshire. These place names likely derived from the surname and reflected the areas where families with the Rosie name had settled.

In the 18th century, a notable figure was Sir William Rosie, a Scottish landowner and Member of Parliament who represented Kincardineshire in the House of Commons from 1768 to 1780.

Moving into the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Rosie was David Rosie (1805-1879), a Scottish inventor and engineer who patented several innovations in the field of textile machinery.

Throughout its history, the surname Rosie has maintained a strong presence in Scotland, particularly in the regions of Fife, Aberdeenshire, and Perthshire, where many families bearing this name have resided for generations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rosie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rosie surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Caithness leads with 197 Rosies recorded in 1881 and an index of 306.04x.

County Total Index
Caithness 197 306.04x
Orkney 157 303.50x
Midlothian 55 8.73x
Lanarkshire 14 0.92x
Aberdeenshire 13 2.99x
Lancashire 9 0.16x
Northumberland 5 0.71x
Shetland 5 10.41x
Essex 4 0.43x
Middlesex 4 0.09x
Suffolk 4 0.70x
Angus 3 0.69x
Berwickshire 3 5.27x
Inverness-shire 3 2.14x
Yorkshire 2 0.04x
Kinross-shire 1 8.41x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.93x
Perthshire 1 0.47x
Shropshire 1 0.25x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. South Ronaldshay in Orkney leads with 130 Rosies recorded in 1881 and an index of 2429.91x.

Place Total Index
South Ronaldshay 130 2429.91x
Wick 97 466.57x
Canisbay 63 1489.36x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 23 9.08x
Kirkwall St Ola 13 167.74x
Thurso 11 109.56x
Dunnet 10 386.10x
Fraserburgh 10 81.57x
Glasgow 9 3.33x
North Leith 8 27.44x
Westray Papa Westray 7 170.73x
Edinburgh Canongate 6 37.43x
Edinburgh Lady Yesters 6 137.61x
Olrig 6 186.34x
South Leith 6 8.47x
Latheron 5 46.43x
Lerwick Gulberwick 5 67.29x
Walls Flotta 5 206.61x
Westgate 5 11.54x
Lowestoft 4 14.79x
West Derby 4 2.45x
West Ham 4 1.95x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 3 3.68x
Ardersier 3 89.02x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 3 20.13x
Eyemouth 3 63.16x
Govan 3 0.80x
Liverpool 3 0.89x
Barony 2 0.52x
Halkirk 2 45.87x
Holm 2 115.61x
Holy Trinity 2 1.78x
Penicuik 2 23.36x
Poplar London 2 2.25x
Reay 2 56.66x
Auchtergaven 1 28.25x
Bower 1 38.61x
Edinburgh Old Church 1 19.76x
Great Crosby 1 6.57x
Hampstead London 1 1.37x
Kinross 1 24.51x
Llanllwchaiarn 1 21.41x
Maghull 1 43.29x
Mains 1 27.03x
Menmuir 1 81.97x
Montrose 1 3.79x
Ruyton Of Eleven Towns 1 55.87x
St Pancras London 1 0.26x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Rosie surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 3
Clara 2
Margaret 2
Agnes 1
Ann 1
Annie 1
Betsy 1
Elizabeth 1
Elizb. 1
Janet 1
Maria 1
Marie 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Rosie surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
George 2
William 2
Alfred 1
David 1
Donald 1
Fredrick 1
Joshua 1
Peter 1
Robert 1
Thomas 1
Thos. 1
Wm. 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Rosie households.

FAQ

Rosie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rosie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 484 people were recorded with the Rosie surname. That placed it at #6,939 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rosie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 862 in 2016. That gives Rosie a modern rank of #6,507.

What does the Rosie surname mean?

A surname derived from the name Rose, likely given as an ornamental name.

What does the Rosie map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Rosie bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.