Rosalena
A feminine name combining "rose" with the Latin "lena" meaning calm and tender.
Name Census estimates that about 250 living Americans carry the first name Rosalena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rosalena today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rosalena births was 2023 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rosalena. 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.
People living today
250
~ 1 in 1,371,017 Americans
Peak year
2023
15 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,410
Tracked since 1934
Popularity
Rosalena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rosalena from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 105 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Rosalena remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rosalena 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 Rosalena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rosalena
Rosalena is a feminine given name with roots tracing back to the Latin language. It is a combination of the words "rosa," meaning rose, and "lena," a variation of the name Helena, derived from the Greek word "helene," meaning light or bright one.
The name Rosalena likely originated in Italy or Spain during the Middle Ages, a period when many names were formed by combining words associated with beauty, virtue, and nature. The rose has long been a symbol of love, beauty, and purity in various cultures, making it a popular choice for naming.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rosalena can be found in Italian literature from the 14th century, where it appears as the name of a character in Boccaccio's famous work, "The Decameron." This literary reference suggests that the name was in use during the Renaissance period in Italy.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Rosalena. One such individual was Rosalena Terribili (1590-1654), an Italian painter from Bologna who specialized in still-life paintings and was a member of the prestigious Accademia dei Desiderosi.
Another notable Rosalena was Rosalena Gonzalez (1768-1839), a Venezuelan revolutionary and soldier who fought alongside Simón Bolívar in the Venezuelan War of Independence against Spanish colonial rule.
In the 19th century, Rosalena Wilcox (1835-1913) was an American educator and suffragist who advocated for women's rights and the abolition of slavery. She founded several schools and played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in Illinois.
Rosalena Sautters (1895-1981) was a German film actress who appeared in numerous silent films during the 1920s and 1930s, including "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1920) and "Metropolis" (1927), two highly influential works of German Expressionist cinema.
More recently, Rosalena Ramalheira (1919-2001) was a Portuguese writer and journalist known for her contributions to children's literature and her advocacy for women's rights and social justice issues in Portugal.
While the name Rosalena has seen periodic popularity throughout history, its usage has remained relatively uncommon compared to other names derived from the word "rose." Nevertheless, its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods reflects the timeless appeal of combining natural beauty with radiance and light.
People
Rosalena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rosalena 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
Rosalena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rosalena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 250 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rosalena 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 1,371,017 US residents.
Is Rosalena a common name?
We classify Rosalena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 261 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rosalena most popular?
The single biggest year for Rosalena was 2023, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rosalena is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rosalena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rosalena 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.
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.