It is within the rural township of North Dumfries, which forms part of the Region of Waterloo, and is located between Ayr, Kitchener and Highway 401.

This first wave was a mix of Scottish and Pennsylvania German settlers, who occupied lots in Concessions 10–12 of Dumfries Township along the Roseville, Cedar Creek, and New Dundee roads.

The one considered most plausible by the local historian rych mills is that it is derivative from Rosenberger's name, given his role in the development of the village.

[1] More fanciful explanations include one published in the 1920s by the antiquarian William J. Wintemberg, based on an interview with a Roseville resident named Louis Kaiser.

[1] Records from 1864 indicate that Roseville, nine miles from Berlin (Kitchener), had a sawmill owned by Henry Bricker, a general store, a school, two hotels, and a post office; the population was about 150.