Route Surname History

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Etymology of Route

What does the name Route mean?

Following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the name Route was first found in Britina. It was a name for a happy or cheerful person. The surname Route was originally derived from the Old English word rot, which meant glad or pleased.

Early Origins of the Route family

The surname Route was first found in Kent where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Route family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Route research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1086 is included under the topic Early Route History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Route Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Route are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Route include Root, Rouet, Rout, Roots, Roote, Rootes and others.

Early Notables of the Route family

More information is included under the topic Early Route Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Route migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Route, or a variant listed above:

Route Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas De Route, aged 63, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 1

Sources +

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)