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[Opinions] Rosemary
What do you think of Rosemary?I don't quite like it. Hmm. Your ideas are intriguing to me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
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It was husband’s grandmother’s (born 1931) name and she in turn was named after her two grandmothers Rose and Mary. She hated her name as she thought it was very old fashioned and as a result was for some obscure reason known as Jackie. I don’t mind the name but I don’t love it. I would be more likely to use something like Rosalie to remember granny.
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It’s okay. It sounds rather old fashioned to me and I prefer Rose-Marie.
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I like it, it has a timeless feel to me. I think Rosie and Romy are cute nns.
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It’s mediocre but not at all a bad name. Princess-y, feminine, and nature. I use rosemary oil for my hair, lol. I love the spelling Rosemarie.
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I’ve always found it a very pretty name.
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I've only met two, and they were both millennials. I'm somehow surprised by how much I like it (in a way that reminds me of names like Ginger and Charity) yet simultaneously I don't quite like it as much as I'd expect. There's something cold or preppy seeming about it like Margot (which sounds like a socialite and verges on annoying to me), but in a way that seems poised and upbeat maybe like Beatrice or Rebecca (I lowkey like those).It reminds me of Marigold, Mary + a color. I think I'd like it more if it reminded me of the plant, but it doesn't. It's pink, rose-tinted. I do associate remembrance, theoretically. There's something vaguely witchy about it, too, like Hazel, but with a vibe more like Glenda.I prefer it to Olive but not to Ethel.
I prefer it to Honor but not to Patience.
I prefer it to Primrose and Saffron but not to Angelica.
I prefer it to Rosalie but not to Esther.
I might pick it over Rose, Mary, Sage, Opal, or Violet. Maybe.Yeah, so stylewise I would put it somewhere in this group: Olive, Honor, Primrose, Saffron, Rosalie, Margot, Glenda, Marigold, Sage, Opal, Ginger, Charity, Patience, Mary, Angelica, Esther, Rebecca, Beatrice, Hazel, Violet, Ethel, Rose

This message was edited 3/10/2023, 8:59 PM

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ITA it's pink.Question for you - is Margo less annoying/socialite-y than Margot, to you?
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Not really. It only seems different to me in that it's more image conscious or dumbed down (ETA: I guess it should potentially seem more practical or unpretentious, but it's not how *I'd* intuitively spell it, and I'd expect the people I know are aware how Margot is pronounced, so for me it'd just mean dropping a letter for the convenience of people I don't even know because I'd be expectating ignorance); it doesn't strike me as more approachable or warmer. Maybe Margaux / Margeaux is more approachable but in a trendy way like Emerson or Juneau or Chanel / Chantelle. ...I used to think I liked Margot, until I met one. I liked her. She was born in the 90s. But I didn't like saying her name; it just clashed. Then she told me about her snobby grandmother from Boston, and I thought...oh, that's Margot-style imv. I think it's an attractively short and stylish classic name still, but it's rare that names annoy me IRL on a likable person.

This message was edited 3/11/2023, 1:24 AM

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In real life I think I'd think it was nice enough. Probably in need of a nickname (one that isn't Romy please... row me bully boys, row).
I like Rosemarie and Rosemarine /-a as middle names. I would like Rosemary more if not for it being "Rose plus Mary" - if it were distinctly the herb name. I like plain Rose much more than Rosemary.
I think it's a little unappealing to me because of the *way* it seems fashionable, in my view.
It seems old fashioned in a bland straitlaced way, like Dolores or Margaret or Virginia.
But there's no influence of a famous old lady Rosemary to make it real, nor a Hollywood star to glamorize it (like Audrey or Shirley) - just Rosemary Clooney, who isn't really a household name... and Rosemary's Baby. So I think it just seems like a new-again "plant name," and a cuter/younger form of Rose (everyone seems to like Rose, but not so many people would dare to use it as a first name) ... with a hipster nick ("Romy") and "sweet" sepia-toned "traditional" aesthetic. The kind of name that is used to name sofas and skirts in the catalogues of trendy shops pretending to be boutique-like. That doesn't make it bad, of course - but it is able to seem a little saccharine and cloying. Rosalind seems more interesting, and just Rose or just Mary would seem more striking and gutsy than Rosemary.
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I really like it. It combines two beautiful, classic names: Rose and Mary. I've had wonderful associations with older women with both those names. It's not hard or unheard of, but also not overused. "Dew of the sea" is a cool meaning. It brings forth thoughts of greenery, freshness, Spring, and nature, the start of something new.Edit: I thought of more. It's kind of cool that while it is a spice name, it's not just a spice name. There is more depth, it has meaning, it sounds like other names. It also has so many good nicknames, which I'm a sucker for: Ro, Rose, Mary, Romy, Rory, Rosie.

This message was edited 3/9/2023, 3:50 PM

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I don’t like it. First I think of the spice, which I don’t enjoy cooking with and smells like mothballs. Secondly, it gives major old lady vibes. A fun, Golden Girls-esque old lady, but I can’t see using it for anything but an old and outdated character name.
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Love Rosemary! She's so summery and sweet -- summer rain & checkered dresses & warm smiles & fresh honey. She's also got some lovely nickname options -- my favorite is Romy :)
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I don't really like it
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I read a book recently where the main character was a 12 year old girl named Rosemary, but she went by Rose. She was a very courageous, kind, brave, and determined girl. All in all, a nice name. I like it.
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It's not bad but it's much too prim and prissy for my taste.
I just finished a book with a character named Rosemary in it, and she was definitely not prim and proper. She didnt go by Rosemary; she went by Rings n Things and was this heavily tattooed and pierced (before it was fashionable) Valley Girl street prostitute.
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I love it, one of my longtime faves! But it's a fun kitschy fan name for me.
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I find it beautiful. I like the symbolism of the herb as well (remembrance).
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My favourite Rose name is Rosamond, followed closely by Rosemary.
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