Entry № 1058 · Persian origin

Roxanne Roxanne — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ rok-SAN /
Gender
Girl
Origin
Persian
Meaning
"Dawn, bright star"
Syllables
2
Rank · US 2025
№ 0
First recorded
Ancient (Persian)

A name that means "dawn, bright star".

Roxanne comes from the Persian Roshanak (روشنک) — meaning "little luminous one" or "dawn," from the root roshan (light). The historical Roxana was the wife of Alexander the Great.

Roxanne is the heroine of Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac (1897) — Cyrano's beloved cousin. The Police's 1978 song Roxanne made the name a 20th-century rock standard.

Dawn. Alexander the Great's wife. The Police song.

The name in its native script.

روشنک
Transliteration
Roshanak
Pronunciation
/ rɒkˈsæn /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Roxanne stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 0 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 165 in 1947
Babies named Roxanne · last year
187 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
1900
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · №165 NOW · —

Roxannes before her.

Real people
Roxane Gay
American writer.
born 1974
In fiction
Roxanne
Heroine of Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac.
1897 play
Roxanne
Subject of The Police's 1978 song.
1978 song

Names connected to Roxanne.

The number behind Roxanne.

7

The Seeker

Roxanne reduces to seven — the number of luminous independence.

Why families chose this name.

"Persian dawn. Cyrano's beloved. The Police rock standard. Three reasons, one name."
Soraya · Mother of one · Tehran