Roslyn
A feminine name with possible Old English origins, meaning "pretty rose" or "meadow land".
Name Census estimates that about 10,829 living Americans carry the first name Roslyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Roslyn today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roslyn births was 1956 (376 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roslyn. 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 Roslyn with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
11K
~ 1 in 31,652 Americans
Peak year
1956
376 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1949 SSA rank
#1,369
Tracked since 1891
Census
Roslyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 11,757 people with the first name Roslyn, which placed it at #2,225 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
#2,225
National first-name rank
People counted
12K
11,757 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
3.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
47.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roslyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Roslyn is White at 47.3%. The next largest groups are Black (38.4%) and Hispanic (7.5%). 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 Roslyn 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 Roslyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.3% · 5,565
- Black or African American38.4% · 4,519
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 881
- Two or more races3.4% · 400
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 324
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 68
Gender
Gender distribution for Roslyn
Out of the 18,502 babies given the name Roslyn since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Roslyn as a male name
- Ranked #4,120 in 1949
- 5 male births in 1949
- Peak: 1929 (5 births)
Roslyn as a female name
- Ranked #1,369 in 2024
- 166 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1956 (376 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Roslyn appears almost entirely female. Of the 11,760 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Roslyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Roslyn from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 2,942 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Roslyn 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 Roslyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Roslyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 34 states and territories. New York, Pennsylvania, California recorded the most babies named Roslyn, while Oklahoma, Nebraska, Oregon recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 404 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Roslyn
The name Roslyn has its origins in the English language, derived from the Old English words "ros" meaning "rose" and "lind" meaning "linden tree" or "lime tree." It is a compound name that combines these two words, suggesting a connection to nature and the beauty of flowers and trees.
In the early medieval period, around the 7th to 11th centuries, the name Roslyn was primarily used in parts of England and Scotland. It was often associated with individuals living in rural areas or those with a connection to the natural world.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Roslyn can be found in the Domesday Book, a great survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This historical document mentions a landowner named Roslyn who held property in Hertfordshire, England.
In the 12th century, Roslyn appeared in the writings of the renowned English scholar and philosopher, John of Salisbury. He mentioned a woman named Roslyn in his work, "Policraticus," which discussed various aspects of courtly life and governance.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Roslyn was associated with individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, clergy, and commoners. One notable figure was Roslyn de Vere, a member of the influential de Vere family in England during the 13th century.
In the 16th century, Roslyn gained prominence as the name of a character in the influential play "The Spanish Tragedy" by Thomas Kyd. This work, which explored themes of revenge and betrayal, contributed to the name's enduring cultural significance.
Other notable individuals named Roslyn throughout history include:
1. Roslyn Tureck (1914-2003), an American pianist and harpsichordist renowned for her interpretations of Bach's works.
2. Roslyn Sulcas (born 1957), a South African-born dance critic and journalist who has written for publications such as The New York Times and The Guardian.
3. Roslyn Brock (born 1972), an American healthcare executive and former chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors.
4. Roslyn Muir (born 1984), a Scottish footballer who has represented Scotland's national team and played professionally in various leagues.
5. Roslyn Oxley (born 1934), an Australian art dealer and gallery owner who has played a significant role in promoting contemporary Australian art.
The name Roslyn has endured over the centuries, reflecting its connection to nature and beauty, as well as its historical and cultural significance across various regions and disciplines.
People
Roslyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roslyn 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
Roslyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roslyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10,829 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roslyn 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 31,652 US residents.
Is Roslyn a common name?
We classify Roslyn as "Uncommon". It ranks above 97.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 18,502 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Roslyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Roslyn was 1956, when 376 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roslyn is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Roslyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 11,757 people with the name Roslyn, or 3.89 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,225 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 Roslyn 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 Roslyn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Roslyn appears almost entirely female. Of the 11,760 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Roslyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Roslyn is White at 47.3%. The next largest groups are Black (38.4%) and Hispanic (7.5%). 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 Roslyn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Roslyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.3% (5,565 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 Roslyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Roslyn a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Roslyn 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 Roslyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Roslyn 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 Roslyn 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 Roslyn?
You can see how many Americans are named Roslyn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.