Rosemary

The name derives from the Latin ros marinus, meaning dew of the sea, which identified the coastal shrub. Folk etymology later reshaped the word in English, aligning it with the familiar names Rose and Mary. It settled into American birth ledgers in the late nineteenth century, gathering momentum until the post-war baby boom.

A Rosemary today is pictured with garden shears and a firm preference for handwritten correspondence. The name carries the practical weight of 1947, when about five thousand American girls received it at the peak of its popularity. Because 44 percent of living bearers belong to the Baby Boom generation, it still largely resides in late middle age. Recent counts show a steady return among infants, making it one of the few names that sounds equally natural on a preschool cubby and a silver anniversary card.