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".
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]
ROGANIrish Irish: reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó RUADHAGÁIN ‘son of RUADHAGÁN’, a personal name from a diminutive of ruadh ‘red’.
ROGINJewish Habitational name from any of various villages named Rogi or from Rogin, all in Belarus.
ROGIŃSKIPolish Habitational name for someone from any of various places called Rogi, named with meaning róg "horn".
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).
ROHEMAAEstonian Rohemaa is an Estonian surname meaning "green land".
ROHIEstonian Rohi is an Estonian surname meaning "grass" or "pasturage".
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.
ROHRLACHGerman (Rare), American Form a place name, e.g., Rohrlach (Kreis Hirschberg) in Silesia (now Trzcińsko, Poland)
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]
ROLFGerman English: Composed of the Germanic elements hrod ‘renown’ + wulf ‘wolf’. This name was especially popular among Nordic peoples in the contracted form HRÓLFR and seems to have reached England by two separate channels; partly through its use among pre-Conquest Scandinavian settlers, partly through its popularity among the Normans, who, however, generally used the form ROU (see ROLLO).... [more]
ROLFEnglish From the Middle English personal name Rolf, composed of the Germanic elements hrōd "renown" and wulf "wolf". This name was especially popular among Nordic peoples in the contracted form Hrólfr, and seems to have reached England by two separate channels; partly through its use among pre-Conquest Scandinavian settlers, partly through its popularity among the Normans, who, however, generally used the form Rou(l) (see ROLLO).
ROLLUpper German, German, English German: from Middle High German rolle, rulle ‘roll’, ‘list’, possibly applied as a metonymic occupational name for a scribe.... [more]
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 an obstreperous person, from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch rummeln, rumpeln to make a noise, create a disturbance (of imitative origin). Variant of RUMMEL.
RONEYIrish (Anglicized, Modern, Archaic) The most common Irish variant of ROONEY primarily concentrated in the Ulster counties of Down, Louth, Armagh, Fermanagh, Monaghan, and Sligo. From the Gaelic O'Ruanaidh and O'Ruanadha which means the descendant of the champion of ulster... [more]
RÕNGASEstonian Rõngas is an Estonian surname meaning "ring", "annulet", "wreath" and "coil" (circular).
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... [more]
ROOEstonian Roo is an Estonian surname derived from "roog" ("reed" or "cane") or "roos" ("rose").
ROOBAEstonian Rooba is an Estonian surname, derived from "roobas", meaning "ditch" or "rut".
ROOGEstonian Roog is an Estonian surname meaning "reed".
ROOKEnglish From a medieval nickname for someone thought to resemble a rook (e.g. in having black hair or a harsh voice).
ROOLEstonian Rool is an Estonian surname meaning "wheel" and "helm".
ROOLAIDEstonian Roolaid is an Estonian surname meaning "reedy islet".
RÕÕMEstonian Rõõm is an Estonian surname meaning "gladness".
ROOMETEstonian Roomet is an Estonian surname (and masculine given name) derived from the masculine given name "Roomet".
RÕÕMUSEstonian Rõõmus is an Estonian surname meaning "glad" or "joyful".
ROONEYIrish Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ruanaidh "descendant of Ruanadh", a byname meaning "champion".
RÖÖPEstonian Rööp is an Estonian surname meaning "parallel" and "beside".
ROOPDutch Dutch: from a short form of the Germanic personal name ROBRECHT.
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.
ROOSILEHTEstonian Roosileht is an Estonian surname meaning "rose leaf".
ROOSIMÄGIEstonian Roosimägi is an Estonian surname meaning "rose mountain".
ROOSIPUUEstonian Roosipuu is an Estonian surname meaning "rose wood".
ROOSNUPPEstonian Roosnupp is an Estonian surname meaning "rosebud".
ROOSSAAREstonian Roossaar is an Estonian surname meaning "rose island".
ROOSTEstonian Roost is an Estonian surname meaning "reedy".
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.
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".
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.
ROSMARINGerman According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary and Latin dictonaries the name Rosmarin derives from the Latin words 'ros' ('dew' or 'tear') and 'marin' ('sea')... [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.
ROSTGerman From a nickname for a red-haired person, from Middle High German rost meaning ‘rust’.
ROSTGerman A metonymic occupational name for a limeburner or blacksmith, from Middle High German, Middle Low German rōst meaning ‘grate, grill’ or Middle High German rōst(e) meaning ‘fire, embers, pyre, grate’ (typically one for burning lime).
ROSTAMZADEHPersian From the given name ROSTAM combined with the Persian suffix زاده (-zâde) meaning "offspring".
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.
ROTHBERGGerman From the elements rot "red" and berg "mountain" meaning "red mountain".
ROTHCHILDSAncient 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.
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]
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.
ROUSSOSGreek Originally a nickname for a red-haired or blond person, derived from Greek ρούσος (roúsos) "red".
RÖVERGerman This surname was originally used as a derogative nickname for an unscrupulous individual, from Middle Low German rover meaning "pirate, robber."
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]
ROWLEYEnglish Anglo Saxon Name- locational, comes from several places in England such as in Devonshire, Yorkshire, County Durham and Staffordshire. It means ' rough wood or clearing', from the Old English 'run' meaning rough and 'leah', meaning clearing in a wood.
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]
ROZELLEFrench Beautiful flower from France brought over by an immigrant named Page Rozelle. People said when she said something nice or touched you, good luck would come to you.
ROZEMAFrisian Possibly a contraction of Roelfsema meaning "son of ROELF". Also spelled Rosema, Roosma, Rozeman.
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.
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).
RUCHGerman (Swiss) It was originally a nickname for a greedy person, from Middle High German ruoch ‘eager,’ ‘intent.’... [more]
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]