Rosalea
A feminine name derived from the flower name rose, possibly meaning "fair rose".
Name Census estimates that about 319 living Americans carry the first name Rosalea. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rosalea today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rosalea births was 1926 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rosalea. 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 Rosalea with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
319
~ 1 in 1,074,465 Americans
Peak year
1926
22 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,883
Tracked since 1915
Census
Rosalea in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 466 people with the first name Rosalea, which placed it at #21,679 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
#21,679
National first-name rank
People counted
466
466 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
63.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rosalea
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rosalea is White at 63.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.5%) and Black (4.5%). 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 Rosalea 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 Rosalea at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.3% · 295
- Hispanic or Latino25.5% · 119
- Black or African American4.5% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 17
- Two or more races2.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Popularity
Rosalea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rosalea from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 126 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Rosalea remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rosalea 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 Rosalea during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rosaleas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. West Virginia, Illinois, Kansas recorded the most babies named Rosalea, while Kansas, Illinois, West Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rosalea
The name Rosalea has its origins in the Latin language, specifically derived from the combination of the words "rosa" meaning rose and "lea" meaning meadow or field. This suggests that the name was initially associated with the concept of a rose-filled meadow or a field adorned with roses, a poetic and romantic imagery.
The earliest recorded use of the name Rosalea can be traced back to the late 16th century in Italy, where it was occasionally given to newborn girls. It's believed that the name gained popularity during the Renaissance period, a time of artistic and cultural flourishing, as the rose held symbolic significance in art and literature.
In the 17th century, the name Rosalea made its way to England, where it was embraced by the aristocracy and upper classes. One notable figure from this era was Rosalea Finch, born in 1638, who was a prominent figure in the court of King Charles II and known for her wit and intelligence.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Rosalia, Rosalie, and Rosalyn, although the original form Rosalea remained prevalent in certain regions. One remarkable individual was Rosalea Montauban, a French noblewoman born in 1712, who played a significant role in supporting the arts and patronizing painters and sculptors of her time.
In the 19th century, the name Rosalea gained popularity in the United States, particularly among families of European descent. One notable American bearer of the name was Rosalea Dickinson, born in 1832, a renowned poet and author whose works explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition.
Another prominent figure was Rosalea Nightingale, born in 1820, a pioneering nurse and social reformer who made significant contributions to improving healthcare standards and establishing modern nursing practices. Her work during the Crimean War earned her widespread recognition and respect.
Rosalea has also been a name carried by individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. One such example is Rosalea Kahanamoku, a Hawaiian athlete born in 1890, who excelled in surfing and swimming and helped popularize these sports internationally.
Throughout its history, the name Rosalea has maintained a sense of elegance, beauty, and connection to nature, reflecting the imagery of a rose-filled meadow from which it originated. While its popularity has fluctuated over time, it has remained a cherished choice for parents seeking a name with a rich cultural heritage and poetic connotations.
People
Rosalea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rosalea 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
Rosalea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rosalea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 319 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rosalea 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 1,074,465 US residents.
Is Rosalea a common name?
We classify Rosalea as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 666 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rosalea most popular?
The single biggest year for Rosalea was 1926, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rosalea is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Rosalea in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 466 people with the name Rosalea, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,679 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 Rosalea 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 Rosalea?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rosalea appears almost entirely female. Of the 466 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Rosalea?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rosalea is White at 63.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.5%) and Black (4.5%). 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 Rosalea most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Rosalea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.3% (295 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 Rosalea in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rosalea a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rosalea 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 Rosalea still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rosalea 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 Rosalea 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 Rosalea?
Find out how many people have the name Rosalea on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.