Rosheen
A Gaelic name meaning "little rose" or "little red one".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Rosheen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rosheen today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rosheen births was 1977 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rosheen. 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 Rosheen with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rosheen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1977
6 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1977 SSA rank
#5,710
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Rosheen: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Rosheen 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 Rosheen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Rosheen
The name Rosheen is believed to have its origins in the Gaelic language, which was spoken in Ireland and parts of Scotland. It is thought to be a variant of the Irish name Róisín, which means "little rose."
Róisín is a diminutive form of the name Róise, which is the Irish version of the name Rose. The name Rose itself is derived from the Latin word "rosa," meaning the rose flower. The addition of the suffix "-ín" in Róisín makes it a diminutive or pet form of the name.
In Irish folklore and literature, Róisín is often personified as a symbolic representation of Ireland itself. One of the earliest references to the name can be found in the 17th-century poem "Róisín Dubh" (Dark Little Rose), which is attributed to the Irish poet Antoine Ó Raiftearaí.
While the exact origin of the variant spelling "Rosheen" is not entirely clear, it is likely a anglicized version of the Irish name Róisín, adapted for pronunciation and spelling in English-speaking regions.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Rosheen was Rosheen Maycock, an Irish actress born in 1856. She was known for her roles in various stage productions in the late 19th century.
Another notable figure was Rosheen Calvert, an Irish writer and journalist born in 1883. She was a prominent figure in the Irish literary scene and wrote several books and articles on Irish culture and history.
In the 20th century, Rosheen Buchanan, an Irish-American actress born in 1920, gained recognition for her roles in various television shows and movies, including "The Untouchables" and "The Twilight Zone."
Rosheen McGuckian, born in 1950, is a renowned Irish poet and novelist. She has published numerous collections of poetry and has won several literary awards, including the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature.
Rosheen Kelly, born in 1962, is an Irish singer and songwriter. She has released several albums and is known for her fusion of traditional Irish music with contemporary styles.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Rosheen, a name with roots in Irish culture and language, and a connection to the symbolic representation of Ireland as the "little rose."
People
Rosheen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rosheen 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
Rosheen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rosheen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rosheen 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Rosheen a common name?
We classify Rosheen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rosheen most popular?
The single biggest year for Rosheen was 1977, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rosheen is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Rosheen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rosheen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rosheen in the SSA data are male. 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 Rosheen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rosheen 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 Rosheen 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Rosheen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.