Find out how popular the last name Rosie is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rosie.

Rosie, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rosie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rosie in America

Rosie is the 73215th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rosie surname appeared 265 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rosie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rosie to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rosie

The surname Rosie is believed to have originated in Scotland during the 13th century. It is derived from the Old Norse word "ros," which means a promontory or a small peninsula. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a promontory or a small headland.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Rosie can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1296, where a man named Robert Rosy is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use and had become established as a surname by the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various Scottish records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which listed individuals who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One entry mentions a John Rosy from the county of Fife.

The variant spelling "Rossy" was also common in early records, and it is believed to have been derived from the same Old Norse root word. In the 16th century, the name was sometimes spelled as "Rossie" or "Rossey," reflecting the phonetic variations in different regions of Scotland.

One notable historical figure with the surname Rosie was Sir Alexander Rosie, a Scottish knight who lived in the 15th century. He fought alongside King James IV of Scotland at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.

Another prominent individual was John Rosie, a Scottish minister and theologian who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow and played a significant role in the development of Presbyterian theology in Scotland.

In the 17th century, the name Rosie was also found in various place names across Scotland, such as Rosie Moor in Aberdeenshire and Rosie Glen in Perthshire. These place names likely derived from the surname and reflected the areas where families with the Rosie name had settled.

In the 18th century, a notable figure was Sir William Rosie, a Scottish landowner and Member of Parliament who represented Kincardineshire in the House of Commons from 1768 to 1780.

Moving into the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Rosie was David Rosie (1805-1879), a Scottish inventor and engineer who patented several innovations in the field of textile machinery.

Throughout its history, the surname Rosie has maintained a strong presence in Scotland, particularly in the regions of Fife, Aberdeenshire, and Perthshire, where many families bearing this name have resided for generations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rosie

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rosie.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rosie was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rosie has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rosie was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rosie, please contact us.

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