Rosa
Meaning of Rosa
Rooted in the Latin noun rosa, “rose,” and transmitted primarily through Spanish and Italian into English‐language usage, Rosa occupies a distinctive position in the onomastic landscape, balancing botanical imagery with a concise phonetic form that travels easily across linguistic boundaries. Historical data from the United States reveal a pattern of early-twentieth-century prominence—regularly ranking within or near the national top 100—followed by a prolonged tapering that has, in recent decades, settled into a stable mid-range presence, thereby indicating neither obsolescence nor transient fashion but rather enduring, moderate favor. The name’s associative field is notably rich: Saint Rosa of Lima, the first canonized figure of the Americas, embeds a tradition of piety and service; the American civil-rights icon Rosa Parks contributes an aura of steadfast moral resolve; and the philosopher-activist Rosa Luxemburg adds an intellectual dimension. Taken together, these layers of religious sanctity, social justice, and scholarly inquiry endow Rosa with a quiet gravitas that appeals to parents seeking a time-honored appellation whose simplicity belies a complex cultural pedigree.
Pronunciation
Spanish
- Pronunced as ROH-sah (/ˈroʊsə/)
Italian
- Pronunced as ROH-zah (/ˈroʊzə/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Rosa
| Rosa Parks sparked the Montgomery bus boycott by refusing to give up her seat in 1955, becoming a civil rights icon. |
| Rosa Luxemburg was a Marxist theorist and revolutionary socialist best known for her book "The Accumulation of Capital" and her leadership in the Spartacus League during the German Revolution. |
| Rosa Ponselle was an American operatic dramatic soprano. |
| Rosa Luisa DeLauro is the dean of Connecticut's congressional delegation and has served as a U.S. representative since 1991. |
| Rosa Beltrán - Rosa María Beltrán Álvarez is a Mexican writer who became the tenth woman appointed to the prestigious Academia Mexicana de la Lengua in 2014. |
| Rosa Brooks is an American law professor and commentator specializing in foreign policy and U.S. politics, with roles at Georgetown University and as a former Defense Department counselor. |
| Trinidad-born American writer Rosa Cuthbert Guy, orphaned young, authored acclaimed fiction that emphasized supportive relationships. |
| Armenian singer-songwriter Rosa Linn gained global fame after her Eurovision entry "Snap" went viral, leading to a Columbia Records deal and her debut EP. |
| Dr. Rosa Slade Gragg was an American activist and politician who founded Detroit's first black vocational school, advised three U.S. presidents, and was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame. |
| María Rosa Luna Henson, known as "Lola Rosa," was the first Filipina to publicly share her story as a comfort woman for the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II in 1992. |
| Rosa Elena Bonilla Ávila, a Honduran politician and interior designer, served as First Lady of Honduras as the wife of President Porfirio Lobo. |
| Rosa Alicia Clemente is an American activist and journalist who ran as the Green Party's vice presidential candidate in 2008. |
| Rosa Sonneschein founded and edited The American Jewess, the first English-language magazine for American Jewish women. |
| Rosa Mota is a Portuguese marathon runner who was the first Portuguese woman to win Olympic gold and is recognized as the greatest female marathon runner of all time. |
