The nameRoxane

Meaning

Roxane comes from the Old Persian Roshanak, "little star, bright one", from roshan, "light, bright".

Origin

French, from Persian through the Greek Rhoxane. Roxana, a princess of Bactria, married Alexander the Great in 327 BC.

History

Edmond Rostand gave the name to Roxane, the woman Cyrano loves, in his play Cyrano de Bergerac (1897), which made it popular in France, where it was mostly given in the 1980s and 1990s. In the United States Roxane reached 530th place in 1956. English speakers often spell it Roxanne, the title of the 1978 hit by The Police.

Famous people named Roxane

• Roxane Gay, writer
• Roxana, wife of Alexander the Great
• Roxane, heroine of Cyrano de Bergerac

Popularity of the name Roxane

Roxane in the United States

Roxane was most popular in the United States in the 1960s, with 1,931 births over the decade, 37% of all recorded babies named Roxane. Its rise began around 1950, and it peaked in 1956. Half of all babies named Roxane in the United States were born before 1962, so it is mostly a grandparents' generation name.

Roxane in France

Roxane was most popular in France in the 2010s, with 6,325 births over the decade, 26% of all recorded babies named Roxane. Its rise began around 1970, and it peaked in 2020. Half of all babies named Roxane in France were born before 2005, so it is mostly a name of today's children and teenagers. Over the last five years on record, it has been falling: 629 births a year on average, against 774 in the five years before.

Roxane in Belgium