Meaning & History
Rosa is a feminine given name used across many European languages, including Catalan, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish. Generally, it can be considered to derive from Latin rosa meaning "rose", though originally it may have come from the unrelated Germanic name Roza 2. The name was borne by a 13th-century saint from Viterbo in Italy, Rosa of Viterbo, known for her piety and preaching. In the English-speaking world, Rosa was first used in the 19th century and gained popularity alongside other floral names.
Notable Bearers
- Rosa Luxemburg (1871–1919), a Polish-German revolutionary and Marxist theorist, a prominent figure in the socialist movement.
- Rosa Parks (1913–2005), an American civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955 sparked the bus boycott and became a symbol of the struggle against racial segregation.
Variants and Diminutives
Variants include Rosalía (Spanish), Rosalia (Italian), and Rosália (Portuguese). Diminutives include Rosi (German), Rosita (Spanish), Rosella (Italian), and Rosetta (Italian). In other cultures, equivalents include Roza 1 (Russian), Ruzha (Macedonian), and Ruža (Serbian).- Meaning: "rose" (from Latin rosa)
- Origin: Latin
- Type: First name
- Usage regions: Europe (Catalan, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish)
Related Names
Variants
Diminutives
Other Languages & Cultures
(Russian)
Roza 1 (Macedonian)
Ruzha (Slovene)
Rozalija (Serbian)
Ruža (Croatian)
Rozika (Serbian)
Ružica (Czech)
Rozálie, Růžena (Icelandic)
Rósa (French)
Rosalie, Rose, Rosette, Rosine (Galician)
Rosalía (Germanic)
Hrodohaidis, Rothaid (Slovak)
Rozália (Hungarian)
Rózsa, Róza, Rozina, Rózsi (Icelandic)
Rós (Irish)
Róise, Róis, Róisín, Rosheen (Late Roman)
Rosalia (Latvian)
Rozālija (Lithuanian)
Rožė (Medieval English)
Rohese, Rohesia, Royse (Polish)
Róża (Romanian)
Rozalia (Russian)
Rozaliya (Slovak)
Ružena (Slovene)
Zala (Yiddish)
Raisa 2, Raisel