Image via Wikipedia
This choice blooms kelly green. If you can’t quite bring yourself to call a daughter Clover, perhaps this equally Irish botanical will appeal.
Thanks to Fran for suggesting Róisín as Baby Name of the Day.
Look her up in the average baby book, and you’ll almost certainly see Róisín’s meaning listed as little rose, from the Gaelic Róis, or Rose. The pronunciation might not be intuitive to an English speaker, but ROSH een is simple enough to say.
There’s a little more to her story. The Germanic element hros meant horse, and plenty of medieval names incorporate the element: Roswitha, Rosamund, Roslindis. While the Latin element rosa has history and simply refers to the flowers, it is almost certain that many of the rose names meant something else entirely when they were first in use.
Thanks to the twelfth century Rosamund Clifford, mistress to Henry II, we can see the name’s meaning changing, as Clifford was nicknamed Rose of the World.
But back to Róisín. In American English, you’d sacrifice her diacritical marks and write her name Roisin. Earlier generations would’ve Anglicized the name as Rosaleen. And yet Róisín’s credentials as a serious Irish heritage choice are considerable, and could give parents a fresh alternative for the oft-heard Megan, Colleen, and Erin.
In sixteenth century Ireland, the Tudors were attempting to assert control. Beyond issues of political control, the religious split kick-started by King Henry VIII of England complicated matters. Hugh O’Neill was 2nd Earl of Tyrone, one of the most powerful men in Ireland. At the tail end of the 1500s, he was even referred to as Ireland’s King. O’Neill led the uprising, and had they won, would certainly be better known. But the English ultimately triumphed, and so O’Neill and his supporters went into exile.
While I’m not finding her on any family trees, a popular song tells of O’Neill’s daughter, Róisín Dubh, the Dark Rose. (The bh sounds live a v; so dubh is pronounced like dove.) It reads like a love song, but it is pure political struggle. It isn’t clear who wrote it first, though James Clarence Mangan was the first to publish an English translation in the nineteenth century. The song is still performed today, so often that it instantly conjures up images of Ireland. Here’s a version performed on tin whistle, and another with the lyrics in the original.
All of this combines for a powerfully Gaelic appellation. While she’s never ranked in the US Top 1000, she’s currently quite popular in Ireland. Many a notable bearer can be found in politics and pop culture. There’s a performance venue in Galway that wears the name.
While the Twilight-tinged Rosalie seems like the most rapidly rising Rose name of the moment, don’t count Róisín out yet. Controversial performer Sinéad O’Connor gave the name to her daughter; Courtney Kennedy Hill (she’s Robert F. Kennedy’s daughter) named her firstborn Saoirse Roisin.
With the easy nickname Rosie, if you’re after an Irish heritage choice, she’s one to consider.
Roisin says
March 13, 2019 at 8:37 PMIt Row sheen. Like row your boat. Rosh een is only southern ireland due to the accent. I do use Rosh as my ickname though but again i pronounce it row (like row your boat) shhhh, so rowsh.
Kinsella says
July 17, 2012 at 5:25 PMMy daughter is Roisin and I live in the U.S. She is in elementary school now. We say Row-SHEEN because that’s how our Irish friends say it. Teachers and kids have no trouble pronouncing her name correctly after the first day or so. It’s two syllables and very easy once you’ve heard it said out loud. I love the way it looks, the lovely, lilting sound of it, and the meaning. We are Catholic and she is named for Mary, the Mystical Rose. We have an Irish last name so they sound musical together. She loves her name too. For every once-in-awhile person who makes a joke about raisins or rolls their eyes at pronouncing such a WEIRD name, there are fifty who stop short and say, “That is so beautiful. Say it again. What does it mean?” It’s a nice way to weed out boring people without imagination! I would never tell my daughter that, but that’s how we feel.
Roisin says
July 4, 2012 at 8:53 PMMy name is pronounced rosh-een not row-sheenbc of where I am from in ireland
roisin says
June 26, 2012 at 3:34 PMmy name is roisin and i love the definition of it because it explains me perfectly !!!
Row-sheen says
July 28, 2011 at 11:37 AMIt’s actually pronounced row-sheen .. my name is roisin , I have NEVER been called rosh-een
Roisin says
November 27, 2010 at 7:38 PMMy name is Roisin and i live in the united states. Its said as Ro-sheen. Most people call me raisin over here. and all my teachers get my name wrong the first few weeks of school.
roisin says
June 26, 2012 at 3:35 PMme tooo i hate it when it happens but its fine we still get an awesome name
Roisin says
June 7, 2014 at 9:39 PMThat happens all the time to me as well. Even my friends call me that when they know perfectly well how to say it. But I think the name is very symbolic and true to Ireland
Sarah A says
November 5, 2010 at 1:35 PMI love this name. I’m a bit more enamored of ‘Rose’ names than I’d like to admit 🙂 I first heard this name in the 2004 Ken Loach film ‘A Fond Kiss’ where the main female character’s name is Roisin and I’ve loved it ever since. I personally don’t think you an Irish last name to pull it off. As far as the spelling, I wouldn’t worry that much; we all know how to spell Sean 🙂
Havoye says
September 24, 2010 at 3:03 AMI’ve loved this name since I first heard it about ten years ago, but I think you really need strong Irish heritage to pull it off. Even though the spelling does remind me of raisins, there is something romantic about it as well that an Anglicized Rosheen just wouldn’t have (ditto for another of my favourites, Sian). I think the exotic (to us) spellings of many Gaelic names are often a big part of their appeal.
Charlotte Vera says
September 24, 2010 at 12:25 AMBeing unfamiliar with the name, I keep wanting to either give it a wacky French pronunciation or say Raisin. Its actual pronunciation is quite pretty, and I guess since Mark is of Irish heritage we could pull it off without looking too affected, but the way Roisin looks keeps putting me off it. Plus, it’s way too similar to Roseanna!
Julie says
September 23, 2010 at 2:21 PMRoswitha, is guilty pleasure of mine. If I could guarantee that it would be pronounced ros-VIT-ah it would be at the top of my list.
Roisin is very pretty, but pronunciation wise, I prefer Rosaleen.
Bek says
September 23, 2010 at 1:04 PMI really want to like this name, but is somehow reminds me of hair products… perhaps the -sheen part?
But part of me finds this appealing. Just wish I could get past the hair
Kelleita says
September 23, 2010 at 10:44 AMI used to live in Galway and hang out at the R
Joy says
September 23, 2010 at 9:48 AMAll I can think of are the rosin used by baseball players and violinists. Different spelling, I know, but it clouds my perception of this name.
BTW, with its roi- prefix, I could see it on a boy too.
Sebastiane says
September 23, 2010 at 8:31 AMI don’t see why Roisin could not work in the States. We have more Irish people than Ireland. Its pretty, but not my favorite Irish name.
Colleen says
September 23, 2010 at 6:33 AMRoisin is one of the prettiest names in the world, but I worry about spelling and pronunciation. I would love to hear if someone can make it work with American English. What a lovely, lovely name!