Contents [hide]

Roach History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Sources

Roach History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
England

Etymology of Roach

What does the name Roach mean?

Non-Gaelic elements made their first appearance in Irish nomenclature after the Strongbow settlers began to arrive on Irish shores. Although the Irish already had an established a system of hereditary surnames, the Anglo-Normans also brought their own traditions with them when they arrived. The two systems were not extremely conflicting, and eventually drew upon one another. Although local surnames, such as Roach, were not entirely unknown to the Irish, this form of surname was much more popular with the Strongbownians. Local names were taken from the names of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. Originally, these place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname, if the place name began with a vowel, or was eliminated entirely. The local names of these Anglo-Norman invaders first referred to places in Normandy, or more typically England, but eventually for those Strongbownians or their descendents that remained in Ireland, the local names really did begin to refer to local places or geographical features of the island. The Roach family appears to have originally lived in a rocky area or near some notable rock. The surname Roach is derived from the Old French word roche, which means rock. The surname Roach belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. The Gaelic form of the surname Roach is de Róiste.

Early Origins of the Roach family

The surname Roach was first found in County Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) located in Southwestern Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they were granted lands by Strongbow whom they accompanied into Ireland during the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1172.

This was about the time that "the manor of Tregarrick or Tregorrick alias Treroche, belonged, prior to the Norman Conquest, to an ancient British family thence denominated Treroche, and afterwards De Rupe, or De la Roche. Of this family, Ralph de Rupe held in Cornwall by the tenure of knight service, three knight's fees of land in 1189. Another of this family according to tradition, was an officer in the Irish war under John John, Earl of Moreton and Cornwall; and when the latter became king of England, the former was again employed on a similar expedition, in which he acquitted himself so much to the satisfaction of his royal master, that he was rewarded with the forfeited lands of various rebels. This enabled him to build the castle of Roche in that country in 1220, and to become the head of the distinguished family of De Roche in Ireland." 1

Early History of the Roach family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roach research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1573, 1576, 1588, 1594, 1595, 1600, 1624, 1629, 1635, 1640, 1643, 1660 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Roach History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roach Spelling Variations

Church officials and medieval scribes often simply spelled names as they sounded. As a result, a single person's name may have been recorded a dozen different ways during his lifetime. Spelling variations for the name Roach include: Roche, Roach, Roache, LaRoche, LaRoach, DeLaRoach, Roack, Roch, Roiche, St.Roche, Rocheland, Rochellan and many more.

Early Notables of the Roach family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Blessed John Roche (also known as John Neele or Neale), an Irish Catholic martyr, who died in London, England in 1588, he is the patron of sailors, mariners and boatmen, beatified in 1929.David Roche (1573-1635), Viscount Fermoy, was son and heir of Maurice, Viscount Fermoy. David succeeded to the title on his father's death in June 1600. During the rebellion of Hugh O'Neill, second earl of Tyrone [q. v.], Roche signalised himself by his loyalty, and...
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Roach Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roach World Ranking

In the United States, the name Roach is the 762^nd most popular surname with an estimated 39,792 people with that name. 2 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Roach is ranked the 569^th most popular surname with an estimated 80 people with that name. 3 And in Australia, the name Roach is the 640^th popular surname with an estimated 6,089 people with that name. 4

Roach migration to the United States +

In the 1840s, Ireland experienced a mass exodus to North America due to the Great Potato Famine. These families wanted to escape from hunger and disease that was ravaging their homeland. With the promise of work, freedom and land overseas, the Irish looked upon British North America and the United States as a means of hope and prosperity. Those that survived the journey were able to achieve this through much hard work and perseverance. Early immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Roach:

Roach Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Roach, who settled in Virginia in 1707
Ellen Roach, who landed in Virginia in 1711 5
Kat Roach, who arrived in Virginia in 1712 5
James Roach, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1763 5
Moses Roach, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1765 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roach Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Roach, who landed in New York in 1826 5
Margaret Roach, aged 26, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1834 5
Sarah Roach, who arrived in New York in 1837 5
John Roach, aged 29, who landed in Missouri in 1842 5
Elizabeth Roach, who arrived in New York, NY in 1846 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roach migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Roach Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Patrick Roach, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1822
Mary Roach, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1828
Ellen Roach, aged 19, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ranger" in 1834
Mr. James Roach, aged 20 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Scotland" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 6
Mr. Martha Roach, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Aberdeen" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roach migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Roach Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Elizabeth Roach, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" in March 1810, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Richard Roach, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 12th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. Thomas Roach, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. John Roach, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 25th June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. John Roach, English convict who was convicted in Gloucestershire, England for life, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 11th August 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roach migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Mr. Thomas H. Roach, (b. 1865), aged 14, Cornish settler departing on 4th June 1879 aboard the ship "Nelson" going to Bluff or Otago, New Zealand arriving in port on 28th August 1879 12
Mr. Jason F. Roach, (b. 1862), aged 17, Cornish confectioner departing on 4th June 1879 aboard the ship "Nelson" going to Bluff or Otago, New Zealand arriving in port on 28th August 1879 12

Roach Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Ann Roach, aged 36, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lloyds" in 1842
Thomas Roach, aged 28, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Westminster" in 1843
Margaret Roach, aged 25, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Westminster" in 1843
Catherine Roach, aged 3, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Westminster" in 1843
Margaret Roach, aged 1, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Westminster" in 1843
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Roach (post 1700) +

Madeleine Amanda Roach (1919-1984), née Coleman, American technician in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, first all-female, all-African-American battalion to server overseas
John Robert Roach (1921-2003), American Catholic prelate, Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis from 1975 to 1995 who had prominence as deliverer of benediction at Jimmy Carter's inauguration in 1977
Paul Louis Roach (1927-2023), American football player, head football coach at the University of Wyoming from 1987 to 1990, a two-time finalist for National Coach of the Year
John V. Roach (1938-2022), American executive, one of the early proponents of the personal computer, launching the Tandy TRS-80 in 1977
Thomas M. Roach Jr. (b. 1961), American politician and attorney, Mayor of White Plains, New York (2011-)
AJ Roach (b. 1975), American singer-songwriter, originally from Virginia, but now based in Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland
Freddie Roach (b. 1960), American boxing trainer of the eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, five-time and four-division world champion Miguel Cotto, former WBC middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr., three-time world champion James Toney and many more
John Gipson Roach (1933-2021), former American football quarterback and defensive back in the National Football League
Jamie Lee Roach (1955-2011), American commercial designer who designed American Trade Center in Moscow and many buildings in Southern California
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr. (1892-1992), American film and television producer and director who worked with Laurel and Hardy, Charley Chase and the Our Gang kids, founder of Hal Roach Studios
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Roach family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Bryan C J Roach (b. 1918), English Lieutenant E serving for the Royal Navy from Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 13

RMS Lusitania

Mr. James Roach, English Fireman from Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 14
Mr. John Roach, English First Waiter from Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 14

The Roach Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Mon Dieu est ma roche
Motto Translation: My God is my rock.

Sources +

Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 53)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 28th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to other ports, 1872 - 84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/