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When did the name Rosemary first start being used? Was it when floral names were revived in the 19th century? When used originally, did it come from the herb or a combination of Rose and Mary?
masculine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124079
feminine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124080
masculine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124079
feminine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124080
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The Guinness Book of Names, by Leslie Dunkling, gives Rosemary as having come into general use in the UK from about 1898. Lily - another obviously floral name - came into general use in 1856, Ivy in 1868 and Iris in 1878. He mentions that as well as being a flower, Rosemary is also associated with 'remembrance'.
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It was a floral name which conveniently contained Mary. The entry says it was used from the 19th century onwards.
If I look at all possible Dutch equivalent, they first usage (since registration in 1880) is 1920 for Rosemarie and both Rozemarijn and Rosemarijn weren't used until a little bit later. Since the latter 2 are spelling variants of the actual herb, it would lead me to think that the Marie/Mary/Maria connection was partly what pushed the name forward. But that's me interpreting data. And also because the same thing is also true for my name Marjolijn / Marjolein is a herb (marjoram), but it's usage is driven by it's connection to Maria. In fact my own parents even meant it as a form of Maria, bc I'm baptised as 'Maria'. It's comparable to the nickname thing in English, except the used form isn't necessarily shorter or more nicknamey.
If I look at all possible Dutch equivalent, they first usage (since registration in 1880) is 1920 for Rosemarie and both Rozemarijn and Rosemarijn weren't used until a little bit later. Since the latter 2 are spelling variants of the actual herb, it would lead me to think that the Marie/Mary/Maria connection was partly what pushed the name forward. But that's me interpreting data. And also because the same thing is also true for my name Marjolijn / Marjolein is a herb (marjoram), but it's usage is driven by it's connection to Maria. In fact my own parents even meant it as a form of Maria, bc I'm baptised as 'Maria'. It's comparable to the nickname thing in English, except the used form isn't necessarily shorter or more nicknamey.
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The name Rosemary originated from a combination of the names Rose and Mary in the 19th century.
https://www.behindthename.com/name/rosemary
https://www.behindthename.com/name/rosemary
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