Is Rosalind/Rosalyn an old person name?

I recently fell in love with the name Rosalind and the variation Rosalyn, and I’ve been seeing Rosalind a lot on the forums as well. But from popularity charts in looks like they both last peaked in the 1950s? So do you think it would it be weird for a 20-somethings female to have the name ‘Rosalyn’?

For context, I am trying to find an English name for myself to use at work. My ethnic name is just impossible for most people to pronounce correctly. I think I’m leaning towards Rosalyn, even though I really like Rosalind, because Rosalind Franklin is a huge presence in my field (chemistry). Like there are programs for analyzing DNA named after her – I’d feel a bit weird taking on the name of such a legendary figure!

Thanks for any advice.

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I see what you’re saying but the only Rosalind I’ve known was a sweet little girl so it doesn’t feel like an old name at all to me. Similarly I’ve known Rose / Rosa / Rosemarys of all ages. It sounds timeless to me. There are so many “old” vintage names coming back into style, that I think it’s just fine to use today for a young person and definitely not weird. Rosalind or Rosalyn are both lovely options but it sounds like Rosalyn is the one for you.

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welcome to nameberry :sparkles:

i don’t think it’s an ‘old person name’ at all!

rosalind feels pretty and classic, and has a lot of good associations, like the one you mentioned! i always think of shakespeare when i hear it.

rosalyn feels contemporary and fun! i think the -lyn spelling would fit a woman in her twenties.

there’s also the nickname ‘rozzy’ for both, which i think is fabulous!

overall, either would make a good choice, but imo, i’d go with rosalyn… i think it fits in great with the madison’s and ashley’s of that age group!

good luck :rose:

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I absolutely love [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f]. [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] [name_u]Franklin[/name_u] and actress [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] [name_m]Russell[/name_m] are such cool influences for a name in my opinion.

I prefer [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] over [name_f]Rosalyn[/name_f]. Great point @emeraldsea that the -lyn feels more contemporary. I would just be thrilled to see [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] and I’m not a big vintage namer. I think it’s on trend and to me would be ahead of its comeback in the best way.

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I have a wee [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f], who is 4, and I love it. I hear you on the [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] [name_u]Franklin[/name_u] conundrum and agree that [name_f]Rosalyn[/name_f] is a good compromise. Also agreed that Rozzy is THE cutest nickname, and I hope my [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] takes it up someday!

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I love the nickname suggestion! I was thinking ‘Ro’ or ‘Roz’ for nickname as well, maybe ‘Rozzy’ for super close friends. One thing I love about these names is that they’re sort of elaborate and elegant but have these nice energetic nicknames.

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Thanks for your input!! I’m kind of torn between the two :smiling_face_with_tear::smiling_face_with_tear::smiling_face_with_tear: It’s just… [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] [name_u]Franklin[/name_u] is a really, really prominent name in my field. There’s literally a university, a scholarship in my university, a bioinformatics computer code, and so many more biochem-related things named after her. And unlike ‘Albert’ which is common enough that people may not immediately think ‘Einstein’, there is only one [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] that most of my colleagues know of. Sigh.

We call my [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] [name_f]Ro[/name_f]!

I knew a [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] when I was growing up - she would be in her forties by now, so by no means old. I’ve never met another. I don’t think it was ever popular enough to be strongly tied to a particular generation (unlike, say, [name_f]Barbara[/name_f] or [name_f]Patricia[/name_f], which definitely make me think of an older woman). I can’t really help you with your [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] Vs [name_f]Rosalyn[/name_f] debate, but I do think they’re both nice names.

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It doesn’t strike me as too old fashioned at all, esepcially not [name_f]Rosalyn[/name_f] :slight_smile:

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The only [name_f]Rosalyn[/name_f] I’ve known is a distant family member who would be around 15 now. I think it’s a relatively timeless name that would work well for any age.

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I think [name_f]Rosalyn[/name_f] is a great choice for an [name_f]English[/name_f] name to go by! It is uncommon enough that I don’t associate it with a particular age group.

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i think rosalyn works wonderfully! similarly, rosaline might intrigue you. it’s similar to rosalind while not being identical, and both have a shakespeare connotation.

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