Show ContentsRowth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Rowth

What does the name Rowth mean?

The name Rowth comes from the ancient Norman culture that was established in Britain after the Conquest of 1066. It was a name for a happy or cheerful person. The surname Rowth was originally derived from the Old English word rot, which meant glad or pleased.

Early Origins of the Rowth family

The surname Rowth 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 Rowth family

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

Rowth Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Root, Rouet, Rout, Roots, Roote, Rootes and others.

Early Notables of the Rowth family

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


Rowth migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Rowth or a variant listed above were:

Rowth Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Gremel Rowth, who landed in Maryland in 1653-1658 1


  1. 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)


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