Perfect for your "little rose", Róisín is a timeless Irish name that we think deserves a return to the spotlight

With just ten baby girls given the name Róisín last year [2023] and only five new arrivals given its no fada counterpart Roisin, this pretty floral moniker has taken an unfortunate hit in popularity in the last few years.

Having been consistently in the top 50 names in Ireland up until 2017, keep reading to find out all about this beloved baby name below!

The only problem with the name Róisín is the same problem with the majority of Irish names – how to pronounce it. Owners of the name get "raison" a lot of the time, given the scramble that happens when systems can’t process fadas. But, for those of you reading this who are not familiar with reading Irish, this is how you say it: Roh-sheen.

But what does it mean?

The name means “little rose” (the "ín" at the end of the name is a diminutive suffix in Irish. Another example is Oisín (say ‘ush-een) which means “little deer”.

History

Maybe the most famous Róisín is the character Róisín Dubh (also the namesake of the famous Galway venue) from the 16th century political poem, disguised as a romantic ballad. Padraig Pearse famously translated the poem into English. The Róisín Dubh in the poem is believed to be a daughter of Earl of Tyrone, Hugh O’Neill best known for leading the resistance during the Nine Years’ War.

Rosaleen

If you don’t know many people over the age of fifty or so who are called Róisín, it may be because the very common anglicized version of the name is Rosaleen, which is very pretty in itself!

IrishCentral History

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Famous Róisíns

Probably the best-known Róisíns outside Ireland are:

  • Róisín Murphy – singer/songwriter, best known for her association with Moloko (and possibly the reason why our UK neighbors know the name!)
  • Róisín O – is another Irish singer/songwriter (and daughter of Mary Black!)
  • Róisín Shortall – Irish Social Democrats politician.

* This article was originally published on RollerCoaster.ie.