Meaning & Story
Rosemary is an English female given name that combines the rose, from the Latin rosa, with Mary, from the Hebrew Miriam meaning beloved or sea of bitterness. It also shares its name with the aromatic Mediterranean herb Rosmarinus officinalis, from the Latin ros meaning dew and marinus meaning of the sea, giving rose of the sea. The dual flower-and-herb meaning gives this name a garden-fresh warmth and natural elegance.
Rosemary is a beautifully layered name for a female companion with a warm, natural presence and a certain fragrant quality to her personality. The herb connection gives it a wonderful concreteness, the smell of warm Mediterranean hillsides and Sunday roasts, while the Mary element adds gentle spiritual depth. It suits a companion with a gentle, old-fashioned loveliness, the kind of pet who seems to belong in a cottage garden surrounded by lavender and the sound of bees. Timeless, fragrant, and deeply comforting.