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Parent’s name

Rosario surname meaning

A Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian surname from the devotional personal name Rosario, “rosary” or “crown of roses.”

Confidence
Likely
US frequency
Rank 627 · 52,418 people
Common variants
Rosario, Rosaria, Rozario, Rosário

Confidence: Likely. The main story is well supported; some details of the deeper root are less certain.

The short story

Rosario is a Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian surname taken from the devotional personal name Rosario, “rosary,” ultimately related to Latin rosarium, “rose garden” or “crown of roses.” The name honors Our Lady of the Rosary and could be given to a child born near the feast or to a family with Catholic devotional ties. Rozario is especially associated with Portuguese and Luso-Asian records, while Rosário preserves an accented form. These histories do not identify one shared ancestor or literal rose garden. The catalog uses parent’s name because the surname comes through a personal name, with likely confidence for its strong but regionally varied route.

Also seen as: Rosario, Rosaria, Rozario, Rosário

Sources used
  • Wikipedia “Rosario (surname)” (Spanish and Portuguese surname history)
  • Ancestry surname meaning for Rosario/Rozario citing DAFN 2022 (devotional personal-name route)
  • Names2020_LastNames_RaceHispanic_Top1000.xlsx (2020 Census)