Rosalia
A feminine name of Italian origin derived from the title of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Name Census estimates that about 7,470 living Americans carry the first name Rosalia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rosalia today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rosalia births was 2023 (517 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rosalia. 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
7.5K
~ 1 in 45,884 Americans
Peak year
2023
517 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#597
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Rosalia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rosalia from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 2,354 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rosalia 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 Rosalia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rosalias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 34 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Rosalia, while Rhode Island, South Carolina, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 189 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rosalia
Rosalia is a feminine given name that has its origins in the Latin language. It is derived from the Latin word "rosa," meaning rose, and the suffix "-lia," which is a diminutive form indicating smallness or endearment. The name literally translates to "little rose."
The name's popularity can be traced back to the early Christian era, when it was given to young girls as a symbol of purity, beauty, and devotion. It was particularly popular in regions with strong Christian traditions, such as Italy, Spain, and parts of Latin America.
One of the earliest documented uses of the name Rosalia dates back to the 12th century. Saint Rosalia, a Sicilian hermitess born in 1130, is credited with helping to end a plague that devastated Palermo in 1624. Her feast day is celebrated on September 4th, and she is revered as the patron saint of Palermo and protector against plagues and pestilence.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Rosalia. One of the earliest was Rosalia of Aragon (1262-1285), a princess of the Crown of Aragon and the wife of Philip III of France. Another famous Rosalia was Rosalia Lombardo (1918-1920), a Sicilian child whose remarkably well-preserved body became an attraction at the Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo.
In the realm of literature, Rosalia de Castro (1837-1885) was a prominent Galician poet and novelist, known for her works that explored the themes of nature, love, and the struggles of the Galician people. In the field of music, Rosalia Chladek (1905-1995) was an Austrian operatic soprano who performed leading roles in operas by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, and Wagner.
Another notable figure with the name Rosalia was Rosalia Mera (1944-2013), the co-founder and former president of the Spanish fashion retailer Zara. She played a pivotal role in the success and growth of the Inditex Group, making it one of the world's largest fashion retailers.
While the name Rosalia has maintained its popularity in various parts of the world, particularly in Latin America and Europe, it has also been subject to variations and adaptations over time, reflecting cultural and linguistic influences.
People
Rosalia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rosalia 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
Rosalia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rosalia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7,470 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rosalia 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 45,884 US residents.
Is Rosalia a common name?
We classify Rosalia as "Rare". It ranks above 97.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10,181 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rosalia most popular?
The single biggest year for Rosalia was 2023, when 517 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rosalia is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rosalia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rosalia 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.