Rosalie

The name gained religious significance through Saint Rosalia, a 12th-century Norman hermit venerated in Sicily, whose feast day falls on September 4.

Her cult spread rapidly through southern Italy and beyond, and the name Rosalie became closely linked to this devotional tradition.

In Sicily, she is the patron saint of Palermo, and the name remains particularly common in regions with strong Catholic heritage.

Rosalie entered English-speaking countries primarily through French Canadian and Belgian immigrant communities, where it had long been a staple of feminine naming.

The name appeared in United States Social Security records from the 1880s onward and reached its peak popularity in the 1920s and 1930s.

It ranked among the top 100 names in the U.S. during portions of that era, reflecting the broader vogue for romantic, old-world names.

The 1937 MGM musical film Rosalie, starring Nelson Eddy and Eleanor Powell, reinforced the name’s cultural presence in American households. The Cole Porter song of the same title, written for the film, further cemented the name in popular memory.

Literary appearances include characters in works by William Faulkner and various 20th-century novelists who favored the name for its elegance.

In contemporary naming, Rosalie experienced a notable revival beginning in the 2000s, aided in part by its appearance in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, where Rosalie Hale is a central character.

By 2024, the name ranked within the top 70 names for girls in the United States, reflecting sustained modern appeal. Variant forms include Rosalia (Italian and Spanish), Rosa-Lee (informal anglicized spelling), and Rozalie (Eastern European variants).