RittGerman Either a topographic name from Old High German ritta meaning "reeds" or a habitational name from a place near Kassel, Germany. Alternately it may also be a variant of Ried.
Ritta-apinanThai From Thai ฤทธิ์ (rit) meaning "power", ธา (tha), a transcription of Sanskrit धा (dhā) meaning "bearer, maintainer", อภิ (api) of unknown meaning, and นันท์ (nan) of unknown meaning.
RivabellaItalian Derived from the Italian word riva meaning "bank (shore, riverbank, lakebank)" (from Latin ripa) and bella meaning "beautiful"... [more]
RivadeneiraSpanish habitational name from a parish named Riba de Neira in Lugo province meaning 'bank of the river Neira' Neira being a tributary of the Miño.
RivareuaLigurian It indicates familial origin within the eponymous frazione of the commune of Carasco.
RivetFrench, English French: from a diminutive of Old French rive ‘(river) bank’, ‘shore’ (see Rives).... [more]
RivettEnglish, French English (East Anglia): metonymic occupational name for a metalworker, from Middle English, Old French rivet ‘small nail or bolt’ (from Old French river ‘to fix or secure’, of unknown origin).... [more]
RivlinBelarusian, Jewish Matronymic name derived from the given name Rivka. A famous bearer is Reuven Rivlin (1939-), the tenth President of Israel.
RīwaiMaori This name is a translation of the name Levi. The name also means potato as a general word for potatoes when its spelled without the letter "ī". This was the surname of founding mother Kiti Karaka Rīwai (1870-1927)... [more]
RoascioItalian (Rare) Derived from Roascio, the name of a municipality in the province of Cuneo in the Piedmont region of Italy. The meaning of the municipality's name is uncertain, but since it is located in Piedmont and known as Roass in the Piedmontese language, the etymological origin of the name is most likely Piedmontese... [more]
RoasioItalian This surname originates from the Piedmont region of Italy. It is most likely derived from Roasio, which is the name of a municipality in that same region. The meaning of the municipality's name is uncertain, but since it is located in Piedmont and known as Roaso in the Piedmontese language, the etymological origin of the name is most likely Piedmontese... [more]
RobardsEnglish Altered form of Roberts. A famous bearer was American actor Jason Robards (1922-2000), as well as his father Jason Robards Sr. (1892-1963) and son Sam Robards (1961-), also noted actors.
RobicheauFrench (Acadian) Patronymic name derives from Robert or Robin. Origin, Poitou province of France. Emigrated to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Canada.
RobineauFrench derived from the Old French word robine, which was the word that was used for the communication channel of a salted fountain or barrel pond... [more]
RobinetFrench Derived from the medieval French masculine given name Robinet, which was a diminutive (as the -et suffix indicates) of the given name Robin.... [more]
RochelleFrench, English habitational name from La Rochelle the name of several places in various parts of France especially that in Manche from a diminutive of Old French roche "rock cliff promontory"... [more]
RochesterEnglish Means "person from Rochester", Kent (probably "Roman town or fort called Rovi"). A fictional bearer of the surname is Mr Rochester, the Byronic hero of Charlotte Brontë's 'Jane Eyre' (1847).
RochesterEnglish Habitational name from one of three places in Northumberland called Rochester, with names whose early spellings are very similar and sometimes difficult to distinguish from each other... [more]
RochussenDutch Means "son of Rochus". Famous bearers of this name are the Dutch prime minister Jan Jacob Rochussen (1797-1871) and the 19th-century painter Charles Rochussen (1814-1894).
RockefellerGerman Means "from Rockenfeld." Some famous bearers include founder of the Standard Oil Company and philanthropist John Davison Rockefeller (1839-1937), and 41st Vice President of the U.S.A. Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (1908-1979).
RockettFrench From the French "la roche," or "of the rock." Some family histories trace this back to French Hugenots (sp) who immigrated to England in the 1500's from the Normandy region of France.
RockfordEnglish An altered spelling of English Rochford; alternatively it may be an Americanized form of French Rochefort or Italian Roccaforte.
RockholdGerman (Americanized) Possibly an Americanized form of German Rocholl or Rochholt, derived from a Germanic personal name composed of Old Germanic ruoche "care, prudence" and wald "rule, power".
RoddEnglish Locational name for someone "at the rod" of land, from Middle English rodde. Also could come from the given name Rod, or the parish of Rodd in Herefordshire, England.
RodmanEnglish The surname Rodman is an ancient English surname, derived from a trade name, "men who were by the tenure or customs of their lands to ride with or for the lord of the manor about his business". The most famous bearer of this name is the basketball player Dennis Rodman.
RodwellEnglish Rodwell, a name of Anglo-Saxon origin, is a locational surname deriving from any one of various places in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Kent, England. In English, the meaning of the name Rodwell is "Lives by the spring near the road".
RoeEnglish Nickname for a timid person, derived from the Middle English ro meaning "roe"; also a midland and southern form of Ray.
RoeNorwegian Habitational surname for any of the several farmsteads named Roe or Røe, derived from the Old Norse ruð meaning "clearing".
RoeIrish Derived from/Anglicised form of 'Ruagh', an Irish word meaning redhead, or red haired
RoeberLow German Habitational name from a place named Roben, for example in Thuringia or Schleswig. From a Germanic personal name based on hrod ‘renown’, ‘victory’. Low German variant of Räuber and Rauber.
RoffeyEnglish There are two small villages named "Roffey". One in England, near Horsham, and one in France, Burgundy. The name is of Norman orgin. First mentioned in (surviving English documents) in 1307 when a George Roffey buys a house... [more]
RogaczewskiMedieval Polish Meaning (Polish): "son of he with antlers" Meaning (Serbian): "son of the Devil"
RoganIrish Irish: reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ruadhagáin ‘son of Ruadhagán’, a personal name from a diminutive of ruadh ‘red’.
RoheLow German The surname ROHE is from a short form of a Germanic formed with Middle High German Rouen 'to roar' or old High German ruin 'Care' , 'intent' (See roch).
RohmeGerman From the Germanic personal name Ruom (Old High German hruom ‘fame’), a short form of Ruombald and similar personal names containing this element.
RohrGerman, Jewish Topographic name for someone who lived in an area thickly grown with reeds, from Middle High German ror. Also a habitational name from one of the several places named with this word.
RohrbachGerman, German (Swiss) German and Swiss German: habitational name from any of numerous places called Rohrbach (‘reed brook’ or ‘channel brook’) in many parts of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. It is a common surname in Pennsylvania.
RokaJapanese Japanese name meaning "White crest of the wave".
RokutamboJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 六 (roku) meaning "6" and 反穂 (tambo), from 田圃 (tambo) meaning "rice paddy field", referring to a rice paddy field with an area of 6 tans (around 5950 m²) in Japanese measurement.
RolandFrench, German, Scottish French, German, English, and Scottish: from a Germanic personal name composed hrod ‘renown’ + -nand ‘bold’, assimilated to -lant ‘land’. (Compare Rowland).... [more]
RollUpper German, German, English German: from Middle High German rolle, rulle ‘roll’, ‘list’, possibly applied as a metonymic occupational name for a scribe.... [more]
RolloScottish From a Latinized form, common in early medieval documents, of the personal name Rou(l), the usual Norman form of Rolf.
RollsEnglish Possibly derived from the Latin word rotus, meaning "wheel". It would indicate one who built wheels as a living. A famous bearer was American inventor and entrepreneur Charles Rolls (1877-1910), founder of the Rolls-Royce Ltd along with Henry Royce (1863-1933).
RolstonEnglish English habitational name from any of various places, such as Rowlston in Lincolnshire, Rolleston in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Staffordshire, or Rowlstone in Herefordshire, near the Welsh border... [more]
RomanskyCzech, Slovak, Polish, Russian In Czech and Slovak usage, it is a habitational name from Romanov, a village in central Bohemia. In Polish usage, it is a habitational name for someone from any of several places in Poland called Romany, named with the personal name Roman... [more]
RommelUpper German, Dutch Nickname for a noisy and disruptive person, from Middle Dutch rommel "noise, disorder, disturbance". Alternatively, a variant of Rummel.
RomseyEnglish From the town of Romsey in Hampshire, England. The surname itself is derived from Old English rum meaning "broad", and ey meaning "area of dry land in a marsh."
RomualdezFilipino Means "son of Romualdo." This is the name of a prominent political family in the Philippines.
RonanIrish shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Rónáin "descendant of Rónán" a personal name apparently based on a diminutive of rón "seal".
RoncesvallesSpanish The name of a village in Navarre (Spain) where there was a Priory of Saint Mary of which the Hospital of Our Lady of Rouncevale at Charing Cross London was a cell.
RongChinese From Chinese 荣 (róng) referring to the ancient fief of Rong, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
RongChinese From Chinese 容 (róng) referring to a Zhou dynasty title used by officials who were in charge of managing rituals, music, and ceremonies. Alternately it may be derived from the name of the ancient state of Rong (location and time period unknown).
RonnenbergGerman (Germanized, Rare) Ronnenberg is a German town in the region of Hannover in Niedersachsen. It consists of 7 areas: Benthe, Empelde, Ihme-Roloven, Linderte, Ronnenberg, Vörie and Weetzen. The town is known for the Church named Michaelis from the 12th century.... [more]
RønningNorwegian From any of the many farmsteads named Rønning, ultimately derived from Old Norse ruðja "woodland clearing".
RöntgenGerman Meaning uncertain. This was the name of German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923) who discovered and studied x-rays. Röntgen called the radiation "X" because it was an unknown type of radiation.
RoosEstonian, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, German (Swiss), Low German Means "rose" in Estonian and Dutch. Swedish and Danish variant of Ros, also meaning "rose". This could be a locational name for someone living near roses, an occupational name for someone who grew roses, or a nickname for someone with reddish skin.
RootDutch From Dutch root, a derivative of roten "to ret", a topographic name for someone who lived by a retting place, a place where flax is soaked in tubs of water until the stems rot to release the linen fibers.
RosSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Valle de Santibáñez.
RosamelFrench A French surname turned Spanish masculine given name, Rosamel likely derives from the combination of rose + Greek mel “honey”. As a surname, it was borne by a 19th century French naval officer with the wonderful name of Claude Charles Marie du Campe de Rosamel.
RosanoItalian rosa meaning pink. Could also be indicative of a location known for or possessing roses.
RoselandEnglish Americanized form of Norwegian Røys(e)land; a habitational name from about 30 farmsteads, many in Agder, named from Old Norse reysi ‘heap of stones’ + land ‘land’, ‘farmstead’.
RosellSwedish Combination of ros "rose" and the common surname suffix -ell.
RosemontEnglish From rose "rose" + mont "mount". Also the name of a town in central California, near Sacramento. In 1880, there were 6 Rosemont families in Indiana.
RosénSwedish Combination of Swedish ros "rose" and the common Swedish surname suffix -én.
RosenthalGerman, Jewish name for any of numerous places named rosenthal or rosendahl. means " rose valley"
RoserGerman German: topographic name for "someone who lived at a place where wild roses grew" (see Rose 1), with the suffix -er denoting an inhabitant.German (Röser): habitational name from places called Rös, Roes, or Rösa in Bavaria, Rhineland, and Saxony, or a variant of Rosser.Swiss German (Röser): from a short form of a Germanic personal name based on hrod "renown".English: "unexplained".
RosevearCornish, English From the name of a Cornish village near St Mawgan which derives from Celtic ros "moor, heath" and vur "big".
RosewarneCornish Cornish locational origin from Ros(e)warne, an estate in the parish of Camborne. The name derives from the Breton "ros" meaning a hill(ock), usually one where heather grows, plus the Anglo-Norman French "warrene", a piece of land for breeding game.
RosholtNorwegian Norwegian: habitational name from either of two farms called Røsholt in southeastern Norway, named with Old Norse, either ross ‘mare’ or ruð ‘clearing’ + holt ‘grove’, ‘wood’.
RosierFrench French for "rose tree" or "rose bush". A common surname in Francophone areas. It is also the name of a fallen angel who was considered the patron demon of tainted love and seduction.
RosingGerman 1 German and Dutch: patronymic from a derivative of the medieval personal name Rozinus.... [more]
RosseauFrench, American Variant spelling of Rousseau. Comes from the Old French word rous meaning "red", likely a nickname for someone with red hair or a particularly rosy complexion.
RostovRussian, Literature Either derived from Rostov Oblast, a Russian federal subject, the town of Rostov in Yaroslavl Oblast, or Rostov-on-Don, a Russian city in the Rostov Oblast. This is also the surname of multiple characters from Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel "War and Peace".
RoszhartGerman The original spelling of the name is Roßhart. Roß means "horse" and hart means "hard" in German. The name was changed when the family immigrated to the United States in the 1850's. Some took on the name "Rosshart", and some "Roszhart" as the ß has the "sss" sound.
RothchildsOld Celtic Scottish circa 1500-1600. See Neil Oliver's book 'The Vikings' for mention of Rothkilde
RothfusGerman Middle High German rot "red" + vuoz "foot", a nickname for someone who followed the fashion for shoes made from a type of fine reddish leather. Or a variant of Rotfuchs, from the Middle Low German form fos "fox", a nickname for a clever person.
RothfussGerman Variant spelling of Rothfus. A notable bearer is Patrick Rothfuss (1973-), an American author of epic fantasy.
RothmanGerman, Jewish German (Rothmann) and Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname for a person with red hair, from an elaborated form of Roth 1. ... [more]
RottGerman As far as I've researched the name dates back to a man by the name of Count Palatine Kuno von Rott (~1083). After he got land from the Pfalzfrafs which seem to be a nobile family line.... [more]
RottenPopular Culture From the English word rotten, meaning "In a state of decay/cruel, mean, immoral/bad, horrible". In the Icelandic children's television program LazyTown, Robbie Rotten is the main antagonist of the show who desires silence and peace, continuously formulates reckless schemes that often feature him masquerading in various disguises as a means of hoodwinking or tempting residents away from an active lifestyle... [more]
RotterGerman Variant spelling of Rother, an occupational name for the foreman or leader of a group or association of men, or a work gang, from an agent derivative of Middle High German rotte ‘team’, ‘gang’... [more]
RotterdamDutch Denoting someone from a place named Rotterdam "place of the muddy water".
RottscheitGerman Modernization of Rotscheidt, also a city in Germany (Rottscheidt) bearing another modern alternate spelling. When broken down it ultimately means "red" and "piece of wood", implying that the families of today descends from woodwrokers.
RouenFrench From 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. ... Ruen is a place-name from in Rouen, the capital of Normandy... [more]
RougeauFrench Diminutive of Rouge, a nickname for someone with a ruddy complexion.
RõukEstonian Rõuk is an Estonian surname derived from the word "rõuk", a type of traditional stack made for the collection and drying of hay, cereals, or straw, often made with a wooden frame.
RouthEnglish From the village and civil parish of Routh in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England (recorded in the Domesday book as Rutha). The place name may derive from Old Norse hrúedhr meaning "rough shaly ground"... [more]
RoverEnglish, German (Anglicized) This surname is derived from Middle English roof (from Old English hrof) combined with the agent suffix (i)er, which denotes someone who does/works with something. Thus, the surname was originally used for a constructor or repairer of roofs.... [more]
RowettEnglish English from a medieval personal name composed of the Germanic elements hrod ‘renown’ + wald ‘rule’, which was introduced into England by Scandinavian settlers in the form Róaldr, and again later by the Normans in the form Rohald or Roald... [more]
RowsonEnglish (British, Anglicized) The ancestors of the Rowson family first reached the shores of England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Their name is derived from the Norman given name Ralph. This name, which also occurs as Ralf, Rolf, and Raoul, is adapted from the Old French given name Raol.... [more]
RoxburghScottish From Roxburgh, a village near the market town of Kelso in the Scottish Borders area in Scotland, derived from the Old English byname Hroc meaning "rook" and burh meaning "fortified place"... [more]
RoyintanPersian Royintan means "invulnerable". It is a Persian origin surname, which is written as رویین تن in Persian. It consists of royen meaning "strong" and tan meaning "body, person".... [more]
RozbiewskiPolish (?) Unknown, possibly related to any of the words: rozbież ("crossroads", "outskirts"),... [more]
RozemaFrisian Possibly a contraction of Roelfsema meaning "son of Roelf" or derived from Roos. Also spelled Rosema, Roosma, Rozeman.
RozenbergYiddish (Russified) A form of Rosenberg used for Cyrillic script languages. Aleksandr Rozenberg is the (as of 2024) current prime minister of Transnistria.
RozewiczPolish The origin of this surname is unknown, but is Polish.... [more]
RozhkoUkrainian, Russian From Ukrainian and Russian рожок (rozhok), a diminutive form of the word "horn" in both langauges.
RozmanJewish Variant of Rosman. Slovenian (also Rožman): occupational name for a carter or a horse breeder or dealer, from Middle High German ros 'horse' + man 'man'. Compare German Rossmann.
RózsavölgyiHungarian, Jewish Either a Magyarized form of Rosenthal, or a habitational name denoting a person from the village of Ružindol in the Trnava region of Slovakia (formerly a part of Hungary and called Rózsavölgy).
RubalcavaSpanish Habitational name for someone originally from the town of Rubalcaba in Cantabria, Spain. The name itself is derived from Arabic الربع الخالي (ar-rubʿ al-ḵālī) meaning "the Empty Quarter", referring to the Rub' al Khali desert in the Arabian Peninsula.
RubiánsGalician It indicates familial origin in the parish of Santa María de Rubiáns in the municipality of Vilagarcía de Arousa.
RubinFrench, German, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak Metonymic occupational name for a jeweler, from Middle High German rubn Old French rubi Slovenian and Croatian rubin Czech and Slovak rubín "ruby"... [more]
RubinoItalian The surname Rubino derives from the name Rubino, in turn originated from the Latin term "Rubeus" (red) with evident reference to the well-known precious stone. It is thought that originally the surname was attributed to the physical characteristics of having red hair, however, the origin of the surname Rubino from the Hebrew term "Ruben" which meant "son of providence", or even from the apheresis of the name "Cherubino".
RucciItalian Patronymic from the personal name Ruccio, from a short form of various pet names formed with this suffix, as for example Gasparuccio (from Gaspari) or Baldassaruccio (from Baldasare).
RuckerGerman Middle High German: nickname rucken "to move or draw". North German: nickname from Middle Low German rucker "thief", "greedy or acquisitive person". German: from a reduced form of the Germanic personal name Rudiger... [more]
RudatisGerman (East Prussian) Derived from Old Prussian ruds and Lithuanian rudas "(of hair) red" or Lithuanian rudis "redhead".
RudeNorwegian, German German: From a pet form of a personal name formed with Old High German hrōd "fame", for example Rudolf or Rüdiger... [more]
RudeenSwedish (Archaic) Variant or possibly an anglicized form of Rudén. Rudeen is currently not used in Sweden. One known bearer, bishop Torsten Rudeen (1661-1729), got his name from his father's surname Rudenius (also related to Rudén).
RudolfGerman From a personal name composed of Old High German hrōd "renown" and wolf "wolf", equivalent to English Ralph. This name is also found in Slovenia.
RudströmSwedish Combination of Swedish rud "deforested land, clearing" and ström "stream".