Roshanna
A feminine name likely derived from Latin meaning "little rose".
Name Census estimates that about 157 living Americans carry the first name Roshanna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Roshanna today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roshanna births was 1983 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roshanna. 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
157
~ 1 in 2,183,149 Americans
Peak year
1983
13 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2002 SSA rank
#15,019
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Roshanna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Roshanna from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 91 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Roshanna 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 Roshanna 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 Roshanna
The name Roshanna is of Persian origin, derived from the combination of the Persian words "rosh" meaning "light" and "anna" meaning "grace" or "favor." It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period in the region that is now modern-day Iran.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Roshanna can be found in the epic Persian poem, the Shahnameh, written by the renowned poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century. The poem mentions a character named Roshanna, though details about her significance are scarce.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Roshanna. One of the earliest was Roshanna Arzani (1230-1298), a Persian physician and scholar who made significant contributions to the field of medicine during the Islamic Golden Age.
Another notable figure was Roshanna Begum (1615-1670), a Mughal princess and the daughter of Emperor Jahangir. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her influence in the Mughal court.
In the 19th century, Roshanna Kaur (1825-1890) was a prominent Sikh warrior and political leader who played a crucial role in the Sikh resistance against the British Empire in the Punjab region.
Moving into the 20th century, Roshanna Shamshiri (1920-2005) was an Iranian artist and sculptor renowned for her intricate sculptures and her contribution to the modernist art movement in Iran.
Finally, Roshanna Hamid (1946-present) is a contemporary Iranian-American writer and academic who has published several novels and works of non-fiction exploring themes of identity, culture, and the Iranian diaspora experience.
While the name Roshanna may not be as common in modern times, its rich history and cultural significance in the Persian world have ensured that it remains a cherished name with deep roots and a storied past.
People
Roshanna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roshanna 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
Roshanna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roshanna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 157 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roshanna 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 2,183,149 US residents.
Is Roshanna a common name?
We classify Roshanna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 167 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Roshanna most popular?
The single biggest year for Roshanna was 1983, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roshanna is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Roshanna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Roshanna 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.