Holding steady.
Popularity of Rosebud since 1888
Babies named Rosebud per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1921, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Rosebud's real moment was 1904.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 6 |
| 1890s | 24 |
| 1900s | 86 |
| 1910s | 178 |
| 1920s | 266 |
| 1930s | 94 |
| 1940s | 61 |
| 1950s | 18 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 5 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Rosebud is a literal floral name that evokes the image of an unopened rose. Its earliest recorded American birth was in 1888, and its peak popularity came in 1904, before the name fell out of regular use. Unlike many floral names that have surged in modern times, Rosebud has remained exceptionally rare, with no recorded rank in any recent year. The name's most famous reference is in the 1941 film Citizen Kane, where it is the enigmatic final word of the protagonist, a connection that has given the name a lasting cultural echo. Despite this, Rosebud has never been widely adopted as a given name, and its trajectory has been stable with negligible usage. Because no top states or one-in-N data are available, the name can be considered a curiosity rather than a current viable choice.
Rosebud is a compound of the English words 'rose' and 'bud', referring literally to a rose that has not yet opened. It dates to the 19th century and saw modest use as a given name in the United States, particularly in the early 1900s. Its usage has remained rare, and it is often associated with the famous sled from the 1941 film Citizen Kane.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Rose, Rosie, Bud, Rosie-Bud
Sibling names for Rosebud
Names that share Rosebud's style, for a brother or sister.
