Roselle
A French name meaning "little rose."
Name Census estimates that about 919 living Americans carry the first name Roselle. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Roselle today is around 49 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roselle births was 1919 (52 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roselle. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Roselle with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
919
~ 1 in 372,964 Americans
Peak year
1919
52 babies that year
Average age
49
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,501
Tracked since 1894
Census
Roselle in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,592 people with the first name Roselle, which placed it at #8,931 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#8,931
National first-name rank
People counted
1.6K
1,592 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
41.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roselle
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Roselle is White at 41.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (35.2%) and Black (12.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Roselle described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Roselle at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White41.5% · 661
- Asian and Pacific Islander35.2% · 561
- Black or African American12.8% · 203
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 122
- Two or more races1.8% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 17
Popularity
Roselle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Roselle from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 353 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Roselle by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Roselle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Roselles live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. New York, Illinois, California recorded the most babies named Roselle, while New Jersey, North Carolina, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 28 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Roselle
The name Roselle has its origins in the French language and is derived from the French word "roselle," which refers to a species of hibiscus plant known for its edible red calyces. The name is believed to have emerged during the late Middle Ages or the Renaissance period in France.
Historically, the name Roselle was likely used as a reference to the plant itself or as a descriptive name for individuals who cultivated or were associated with the roselle plant. The roselle plant was valued for its culinary and medicinal properties, and its vibrant red color made it a distinctive and appealing choice for a name.
While there are no known references to the name Roselle in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that the name was used informally or locally during earlier periods before gaining wider recognition and documentation.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Roselle can be found in the 16th century. Roselle de Bèze (1503-1598) was a French Protestant theologian and scholar who played a significant role in the Reformation movement. She was a close associate of John Calvin and contributed to the translation of the Bible into French.
Another notable figure with the name Roselle was Roselle Mercier (1824-1909), a French novelist and playwright. She was known for her works that explored societal issues and the lives of working-class women.
In the 19th century, Roselle Prue (1845-1923) was an American educator and activist who advocated for the rights of Native Americans. She dedicated her life to establishing schools and promoting education among Native American communities.
Roselle Hirshhorn (1897-1966) was an American philanthropist and art collector. She and her husband Joseph Hirshhorn amassed an impressive collection of modern art, which they later donated to the Smithsonian Institution, forming the basis of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.
Roselle Sinclair (1924-2008) was a Canadian actress known for her work in both film and television. She had a successful career spanning over six decades, appearing in numerous productions and earning recognition for her talent and versatility.
It is worth noting that while the name Roselle has historical roots and examples throughout various periods, its usage as a given name has been relatively uncommon compared to other names. However, its unique botanical connection and melodic sound have contributed to its enduring appeal and occasional appearances over the centuries.
People
Roselle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roselle as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Roselle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roselle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 919 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roselle going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 372,964 US residents.
Is Roselle a common name?
We classify Roselle as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,080 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Roselle most popular?
The single biggest year for Roselle was 1919, when 52 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roselle is about 49 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Roselle in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,592 people with the name Roselle, or 0.53 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,931 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Roselle in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Roselle?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Roselle leans strongly female. 1,578 people counted with this name were female (98.9%), compared with 17 male bearers (1.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Roselle?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Roselle is White at 41.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (35.2%) and Black (12.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Roselle most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Roselle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.5% (661 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Roselle in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Roselle a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Roselle in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Roselle still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Roselle in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Roselle can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Roselle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.