The Baby Name Wizard

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It is said to mean a deep Dartmoor pool

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It is my name

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Meanings and history of the name Rosslyn: | Edit

Rosslyn can be seen as having many meanings.

First, the traditional meaning of Roslyn is a combination of Rose (meaning Rose) and Lynn, which means all sorts of things: lake or waterfall (Brythonic Gaelic), beautiful (Spanish, short for Linda), or tender (Old Germanic, short for Lind). Compare to the names Rosalyn, Rosalind, and Rosalinda.

In Scotland, Rosslyn Chapel is famous for its intricate stonework. Nearby are the village of Roslin and Roslin Castle.

With Celtic roots, the word "ross" means promontory, so Rosslyn means "the waterfall over the edge." However, the village was apparently referred to as "Roskelyn" in the 12th century, which would refer to the words "ros" (moor) and "celyn" (holly). In these cases, Rosslyn can also be taken to mean "moor where holly grows."

Finally, Dan Brown in "The Da Vinci Code" linked Rosslyn to the Rose Line, but that's really part of the fiction he created for the novel.

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