Rowans History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland

Etymology of Rowans

The illustrious surname Rowans is classified as a habitation surname, which was originally derived from a place-name, and is one form of surname belonging to a broader group called hereditary surnames. Habitation names were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Topographic names, form the other broad category of surnames that was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.

Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. Rowans is a place-name from in Rouen, the capital of Normandy. The surname was derived from the Viscountcy of Rohan, in Brittany, in France. As a local name, it could also have been derived from the local at the rowan which referred to a residence beside a rowan-tree. Habitation names were derived from the name of the town, village or hamlet where the person originally lived.

Early Origins of the Rowans family

Early History of the Rowans family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rowans research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1366, 1393, 1618, 1639, 1692 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Rowans History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rowans Spelling Variations

Since the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Roan, Rohan, Roohan, Rome, Rowan and others.

Early Notables of the Rowans family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Rougham (died 1393), the second master of Gonville Hall, Cambridge. He had been a fellow of the college since the 1350s...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rowans Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Rowans family to Ireland

Some of the Rowans family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 112 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Rowans family

Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Rowans, or a variant listed above: Elizabeth Roan settled with her husband in Georgia in 1733; Banks Roane arrived in Surinam in 1678; Christopher Roan settled in Maryland in 1774; George Roan settled in Georgia in 1733.