Patton suggest it may be called after the herb of the same name. It is included in the list of streets in the Belfast Directory 1831-1832. The 1839 edition of Martin’s Belfast Directory lists people living here. It is suggested large amounts of rosemary were grown here to help overcome some of the smells from the nearby tanneries, mills and the Farset River which would have carried large amounts of sewage in those days. The historian and author Jonathan Bardon in his book Place Names in Ulster argues that names such as Rosemary, Ann, Howard, Alfred and Arthur are all called after members of the Donegall Family.