The first name Roosevelt
A boy’s name from Dutch meaning “wild rose / poppy?”, “open country”, “field”.
Pronounced /ˈɹoʊ.zə.vɛlt/ 3 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Dutch origin
Roosevelt means “wild rose / poppy?”, “open country”, “field” in Dutch.
From a Dutch name of a farm, either Rozenveld (one in Zeeland) or Ruiseveld (one in Brabant), from Middle Dutch; the former could be a compound of rose (“wild rose / poppy?”) + velt (“open country; field”) or like the latter of rusch (“rush reed”) + velt, “open land growing with rushes”.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Roosevelt at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 24 boys born in the United States were named Roosevelt, the 4,362nd most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1933, when 1,208 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Roosevelt in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Nicknames and spellings
Nicknames for Roosevelt
- Rosey
Famous people named Roosevelt
6 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Roosevelt SykesAmerican blues musician, 1906–1983
- James Roosevelt BayleyCatholic bishop (1814–1877)
- Hound Dog TaylorAmerican Chicago blues guitarist and singer (1915–1975)
- Theodore PellAmerican tennis player (1879-1967)
- T. R. DunnAmerican basketball player-coach, born 1955
- Rosey GrierAmerican football player, actor and writer, born 1932
More Dutch boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Roosevelt mean?
- Roosevelt means “wild rose / poppy?”, “open country”, “field” in Dutch.
- What is the origin of the name Roosevelt?
- From a Dutch name of a farm, either Rozenveld (one in Zeeland) or Ruiseveld (one in Brabant), from Middle Dutch; the former could be a compound of rose (“wild rose / poppy?”) + velt (“open country; field”) or like the latter of rusch (“rush reed”) + velt, “open land growing with rushes”.
- What are nicknames for Roosevelt?
- Common nicknames for Roosevelt include Rosey.
- Is Roosevelt a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 99% of the 38,024 US babies named Roosevelt since 1880 were boys.
- When was Roosevelt most popular?
- 1933 in the United States, when 1,208 babies were named Roosevelt, its highest rank at 132nd.
- How do you pronounce Roosevelt?
- Roosevelt is /ˈɹoʊ.zə.vɛlt/, 3 syllables.
- Is Roosevelt also a surname?
- Yes. Roosevelt is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.