indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Type Surname (from occupation)
Usage English
Meaning & History
Either (i) "player of the rote (a medieval stringed instrument played by plucking)"; or (ii) from a medieval nickname for a dishonest or untrustworthy person (from Old French routier "robber, mugger"). A known bearer is British composer and conductor John Rutter (1945-).