Tracing the Rosen Family Name

Rosen began as a German family name. The usual explanation, from Elsdon Smith, is “roses; descendant of Rose (horse or rose)”.

• Rosen ranked 1,585 in the 2010 US Census, with 22,596 people answering to the name. That puts it among the top 2,500 US surnames. INSEE counts 210 people born in France with the Rosen surname between 1891 and 2000; the busiest decade was 1981–1990. The name became more frequent over the century.

Arms associated with the name

There is no single Rosen family crest for all bearers; the honest first step is to find out which Rosen line, if any, bore arms. Want more than a summary? See the Rosen family name pack.