Explore the Family Name Rosa
The meaning of Rosa
1. Italian, Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese: from rosa ‘rose’ (from Latin rosa), applied as a topographic name for someone who lived where wild roses grew, or as a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by the sign of a rose, or as a nickname for someone with a pink, rosy complexion. 2. Italian: from the female personal name Rosa, from rosa ‘rose’. Under the influence of the cults of various Christian saints, particularly Rosa, patron saint of Viterbo, this was a popular personal name in medieval Italy. It is also a Marian devotional name (compare Rosario 1). Compare also De Rosa. 3. Spanish and Portuguese: from the female personal name Rosa (see 2 above), or a short form of a surname such as De la Rosa (Spanish) or Da Rosa (Portuguese). 4. Polish and Czech: from the vocabulary word rosa ‘dew, juice, sap’, applied as a nickname. 5. Croatian and Serbian (Roša): from a Slavicized form of the Italian nickname Rosso (compare Roso), or from a short and pet form of various personal names containing the syllable ro(š) (see Rosko). 6. Slovenian: probably a nickname from rosa ‘dew’. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Manuel, Luis, Carlos, Antonio, Juan, Angel, Mario, Pedro, Ana, Miguel, Rafael, Ramon. Portuguese Joao, Joaquim, Adao, Guilherme, Henrique, Paulo, Zulmira.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Rosa in the United States?
Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Rosa has seen an increase from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 1132nd and increased in rank to 1035th by 2010, indicating a growth of 8.57%. The number of people with the Rosa surname also grew from 28,375 in 2000 to 33,521 by 2010, showing an increase of 18.14%. The proportion of individuals with the surname Rosa per 100,000 also increased from 10.52 in 2000 to 11.36 in 2010, growing by 7.98%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,132 | #1,035 | 8.57% |
| Count | 28,375 | 33,521 | 18.14% |
| Proportion per 100k | 10.52 | 11.36 | 7.98% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Rosa
The Decennial U.S. Census also provides information on the ethnicity of those with the Rosa surname. From 2000 to 2010, there was a significant shift in the ethnic identities associated with this surname. The percentage of those identifying as Hispanic increased from 61.34% to 64.96%, making this the largest ethnic group associated with the Rosa surname. On the other hand, individuals identifying as two or more races saw a decrease from 3.11% to 1.11%. Those identifying as White made up 32.34% of the total in 2000 but decreased to 30.00% by 2010. There was also a notable increase in those identifying as Black, from 1.87% to 2.62%. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander remained the same at 1.18%, while American Indian and Alaskan Native identifiers slightly decreased from 0.15% to 0.14%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 61.34% | 64.96% | 5.9% |
| White | 32.34% | 30% | -7.24% |
| Black | 1.87% | 2.62% | 40.11% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.18% | 1.18% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 3.11% | 1.11% | -64.31% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.15% | 0.14% | -6.67% |
Rosa ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Rosa is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 38.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (14.0%) and Italian (10.0%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Indigenous American, Eastern European, Nigerian, and Angolan & Congolese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Spanish & Portuguese | 38.6% |
| British & Irish | 14.0% |
| Italian | 10.0% |
| Other | 37.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Rosa
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Rosa have recent ancestry locations all within Puerto Rico.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Ponce, Puerto Rico | 36.90% |
| Quebradillas, Puerto Rico | 36.90% |
| Penuelas, Puerto Rico | 36.90% |
| Patillas, Puerto Rico | 36.90% |
| Orocovis, Puerto Rico | 36.90% |
What Rosa haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Rosa is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include E-M4254 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with Sub-Saharan African and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Costa, Santos, Fernandez, Silva, Gomes, Ferreira, Pereira, Blanco, Miranda, Diaz.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Rosa surname are: A2, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to some of the first Americans
Though the Ice Age was beginning to retreat when your A2 ancestors first entered North America, there were still massive barriers blocking their way. Glaciers and inhospitable climate covered much of the continent, blocking entry into the interior. Nonetheless, researchers have found evidence that a wave of American founders migrated over 13,000 kilometers to reach southern Chile in only 2,000 years, a blink of an eye in the story of human migration! Their highway to the south was the coast of the Pacific, stocked with fish, diverse marine mammals, and other valuable resources in the rich kelp forests of the upper latitudes and in the abundant fresh-water rivers near the equator. Because of this rapid movement south, the A2 haplogroup and its diverse branches are found throughout North and South America.
What do people with the surname Rosa have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Rosa" Surname 43.8%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Rosa" Surname 38.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Rosa" Surname 17.8%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Rosa" Surname 17.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Rosa?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Rosa are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition