Submitted Surnames Starting with R

usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Ronk Estonian
Ronk is an Estonian surname meaning "raven".
Rönn Swedish
Means "rowan" in Swedish.
Ronnenberg German (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]
Rønning Norwegian
From any of the many farmsteads named Rønning, ultimately derived from Old Norse ruðja "woodland clearing".
Rönnlund Swedish
Combination of Swedish rönn "rowan" and lund "grove".
Roño Spanish
masculine form of roña which means dirt
Ronson English
Means "son of Ron"
Röntgen German
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.
Roo Estonian
Roo is an Estonian surname derived from "roog" ("reed" or "cane") or "roos" ("rose").
Rooba Estonian
Rooba is an Estonian surname, derived from "roobas", meaning "ditch" or "rut".
Rood English
Designating someone who lived near a cross, rood in Middle English
Roog Estonian
Roog is an Estonian surname meaning "reed".
Rook English
From a medieval nickname for someone thought to resemble a rook (e.g. in having black hair or a harsh voice).
Rool Estonian
Rool is an Estonian surname meaning "wheel" and "helm".
Roolaid Estonian
Roolaid is an Estonian surname meaning "reedy islet".
Rõõm Estonian
Rõõm is an Estonian surname meaning "gladness".
Roome English
Variant of Rome.
Roomet Estonian
Roomet is an Estonian surname (and masculine given name) derived from the masculine given name "Roomet".
Rõõmus Estonian
Rõõmus is an Estonian surname meaning "glad" or "joyful".
Rooney Irish
Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ruanaidh "descendant of Ruanadh", a byname meaning "champion".
Rööp Estonian
Rööp is an Estonian surname meaning "parallel" and "beside".
Roop Dutch
Dutch: from a short form of the Germanic personal name Robrecht.
Roos Estonian, 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.
Roose English, Dutch, German
Variant spelling of Rose 1, Rose 2, Roos or Ross.
Roosileht Estonian
Roosileht is an Estonian surname meaning "rose leaf".
Roosimägi Estonian
Roosimägi is an Estonian surname meaning "rose mountain".
Roosipuu Estonian
Roosipuu is an Estonian surname meaning "rose wood".
Roosnupp Estonian
Roosnupp is an Estonian surname meaning "rosebud".
Roossaar Estonian
Roossaar is an Estonian surname meaning "rose island".
Roost Estonian
Roost is an Estonian surname meaning "reedy".
Root English, Dutch
English: nickname for a cheerful person, from Middle English rote ‘glad’ (Old English rot). ... [more]
Rootare Estonian
Rootare is an Estonian surname meaning "reed hut/house".
Roots Estonian
Roots is an Estonian surname meaning "leaf stalk" or "stem". May also derive from "rootslane", meaning "Swede".
Rootslane Estonian
Rootslane is an Estonian surname meaning "Swede".
Rootsmaa Estonian
Rootsmaa is an Estonian surname meaning "leaf stalk/stem land".
Rootsmäe Estonian
Rootsmäe is an Estonian surname meaning "leaf stalk/stem hill/mountain".
Rooväli Estonian
Rooväli is an Estonian surname meaning "cane/reed field".
Roper English
English: occupational name for a maker or seller of rope, from an agent derivative of Old English rāp ‘rope’. See also Roop.
Roppolo Italian
Perhaps a derivative of Roppo, a given name of Germanic origin.
Roppongi Japanese
From 六 (ro) meaning "seven", 本 (pon) meaning "origin", and 木 (gi) meaning "wood, tree".
Rorke Irish
The name comes from the Gaelic O Ruairc, which means descendant of Ruairc.
Ros Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Valle de Santibáñez.
Ros Swedish
Means "rose" in Swedish.
Ros Khmer
Means "alive" in Khmer.
Rosado Spanish
Derived from the Spanish word rosa, meaning "rose".
Rosamel French
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.
Rosano Italian
rosa meaning pink. Could also be indicative of a location known for or possessing roses.
Rosas Spanish, Catalan
Variants of Rosa or Rosales.
Rosati Italian
Variant of Rosato.
Rosberg German
Meaning "rose" "mountain"
Rosco English
Variant of Roscoe.
Roseland English
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’.
Rosell Swedish
Combination of ros "rose" and the common surname suffix -ell.
Rosema Frisian
Variant spelling of Rozema.
Roseman English
From the Norman feminine name Rosamund.
Rosemary English
From the plant, meaning "dew of the sea".
Rosemeyer German
Derived from the Middle High German rose meaning "rose" and meier meaning "(tenant) farmer steward". This is a German nickname and distinguishing name for a farmer who grew or liked roses.
Rosemont English
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.
Rosén Swedish
Combination of Swedish ros "rose" and the common Swedish surname suffix -én.
Rosen German, Jewish
Means "Roses" in German
Rosenbaum German, Czech
Habitational name for someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a rosebush, Middle High German rōsenboum.
Rosenbaum Jewish
Ornamental adoption of modern German Rosenbaum "rose bush".
Rosenblum Jewish
From rosen meaning "rose" and blume meaning "flower".
Rosenbluth Jewish
Means "rose bloom" in Middle High German.
Rosenboom Dutch
Comes from Dutch "rosenboom" meaning "rose tree"
Rosenborg Norwegian
Norwegian form of Rosenberg.
Rosencrantz German
Means "rose wreath" in German.
Rosendahl Swedish, Danish, German
Swedish and Danish ornamental name meaning "rose valley" and German variant of Rosenthal, also meaning "rose valley".
Rosenheim German (Rare)
Derived from "home of roses".
Rosenstein Jewish
Means "rose stone" in German.
Rosenthal German, Jewish
name for any of numerous places named rosenthal or rosendahl. means " rose valley"
Rosenwald German, Jewish
Means "rose forest" in German. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
Rosenzweig German, Jewish
A German and Jewish surname, meaning "rose twig" or "branch".
Roser German
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".
Rosevear Cornish, English
From the name of a Cornish village near St Mawgan which derives from Celtic ros "moor, heath" and vur "big".
Rosewarne Cornish
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.
Rosewood English
Denoting someone who came from a rose wood or grove.
Rosholt Norwegian
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’.
Rosi Greek, Italian
Greek: Metronymic from the female personal name Rosa 1, or alternatively a variant of Rosso.... [more]
Rosier French
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.
Rosing German
1 German and Dutch: patronymic from a derivative of the medieval personal name Rozinus.... [more]
Rosmarin German
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]
Roso Croatian
Croatian variation of the Italian surname Rosso.
Rossbach Jewish
Jewish or Eastern European
Rossdale Jewish
Anglicized variant of German-Jewish Rosenthal.... [more]
Rosseau French, 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.
Rössel German
Means "knight" in German.
Rosser Welsh
Variant of Prosser.
Rossetti Italian
Patronymic derived from the given name Rossetto (see Rosetto).
Rossie English
Possibly a variant of Rossi.
Rossignol French
Means "nightingale" in French, used as a nickname for person with a good singing voice, or ironically, for a raucous person.
Rossing Norwegian
ross (came from scotland) ing - added in Norway
Rosso Italian
Derived from the Italian word rosso meaning "red". It was used as a nickname for people with red hair or that used to wear in red.
Rost German
From a nickname for a red-haired person, from Middle High German rost meaning ‘rust’.
Rost German
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).
Rostamzadeh Persian
From the given name Rostam combined with the Persian suffix زاده (-zâde) meaning "offspring".
Rostási Hungarian
Probably comes from the Hungarian word "rosta" wich means sieve.
Rostomian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Ռոստոմյան (see Rostomyan).
Rostomyan Armenian
Means "son of Rostom".
Rostov Russian, 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".
Rostova Russian
Feminine form of Rostov.
Rostovsky Russian
Referring to a region in Southwestern Russia named "Rostov".
Rostworowski Polish
This indicates familial origin within the Greater Polish village of Rostworowo.
Roșu Romanian
Means “red” in Romanian.
Rosya Ukrainian (Modern), Russian (Modern)
Either a shortened version of "Rossiya", which is Russian for "Russia", or the Russian and Ukrainian version of Rose 1.
Roszhart German
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.
Rota Italian
Means "wheel" in Italian, from various place names.
Rothacker German
Either a topographic name based on a field name derived from Middle High German riuten roten "to clear land (for cultivation)" and acker "field"... [more]
Rothberg German
From the elements rot "red" and berg "mountain" meaning "red mountain". Variant of Rothenberg.
Rothchilds Old Celtic
Scottish circa 1500-1600. See Neil Oliver's book 'The Vikings' for mention of Rothkilde
Rothfus German
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.
Rothfuss German
Variant spelling of Rothfus. A notable bearer is Patrick Rothfuss (1973-), an American author of epic fantasy.
Rothman German, Jewish
German (Rothmann) and Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname for a person with red hair, from an elaborated form of Roth 1. ... [more]
Rothmann German
German: see Rothman.
Rothstein German, Jewish
From German rot meaning "red" and stein meaning "stone".
Rothwell English
An English surname meaning 'Lives by the red spring"
Rotstein German
German surname that means "red stone".
Rott German
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]
Rotten Popular 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]
Rotter German
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]
Rotterdam Dutch
Denoting someone from a place named Rotterdam "place of the muddy water".
Rottscheit German
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.
Rotunno Italian
From Neapolitan rotunno "round, rotund".
Rou French
Variant of Roux.
Roubichou English
French surname that is probably an altered spelling of Robichon or Robicheaux, pet forms of Robert.
Roudebush Dutch (Americanized), Belgian (Americanized)
Americanized form of Dutch and Belgian Ronderbosch or Rondenbosch, a habitational name for someone from Ronderbos in Dilbeek, Brabant, or Ronden Bos in Maldegen, East Flanders.
Rouen French
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]
Rouf Bengali
From the given name Rauf.
Rouge French
Nickname for someone with a ruddy complexion.
Rougeau French
Diminutive of Rouge, a nickname for someone with a ruddy complexion.
Rouget French
Derived from the French adjective rouge meaning "red" combined with the French masculine diminutive suffix -et.
Rougeul French
“Rouge” means “Red” in French.
Rough English
A topographic name referring to a dwelling with uncultivated ground, ultimately deriving from Olde English ruh meaning "rough".
Rouhani Persian
Means "cleric, clergyman" or "clean, pure, good" in Persian.
Rõuk Estonian
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.
Round English
Variant of Rounds.
Roundtree English
Variant spelling of Rowntree.
Roupert French (Rare)
Derived from the given name Roupert, which is an archaic French variant of Rupert.
Rouppert French (Rare)
Derived from the given name Rouppert, which is a gallicization of Ruppert, the Upper German form of Rupert.... [more]
Rourke Irish
Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ruairc ‘descendant of Ruarc’, Old Gaelic Ruadhrac, a personal name from Norse Hrothrekr (see Roderick)... [more]
Rouse English
nickname for a person with red hair, from Middle English, Old French rous ‘red(-haired)’
Rousopoulos Greek
Meaning "of Russian descent".
Roussos Greek
Originally a nickname for a red-haired or blond person, derived from Greek ρούσος (roúsos) "red".
Routh English
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]
Routin French
From French route meaning "road".
Routine French
Variant of Routin.
Rouvoet Dutch
From a nickname that meant "rough foot", derived from Middle Dutch ru meaning "rough, wild" and voet meaning "foot". This name is borne by the retired Dutch politician André Rouvoet (1962-).
Röver German
This surname was originally used as a derogative nickname for an unscrupulous individual, from Middle Low German rover meaning "pirate, robber."
Rover English, 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]
Rovere Italian
From rovere "oak".
Roviaro Italian (Modern)
From northern Italy
Rovira Catalan
Topographic name for someone who lived by an oak wood, from Catalan rovira meaning "oak wood, oak grove".
Rovnák Czech
Habitational name from places named Rovné and/or Rovný.
Rowe Jewish
A shortened form of the surname Horowitz, a variant of the surname Horovic, from the town of Horovice, Czech Republic.
Röwekamp German
From old German röwe meaning "lion" and kamp meaning "fighter". Perhaps named for someone who's brave.
Rowell English
From a diminutive of Rowland or Rolf or a location name meaning "rough hill".
Rowett English
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]
Rowlands English
Derived from the given name Rowland.
Rowley English
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.
Rowling English
From diminutives for the given names Rollo or Rolf. Famous bearer is the author of the Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling whose initials stand for Joanne Kathleen.
Rowson English (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]
Roxburgh Scottish
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]
Roy Indian, Bengali, Assamese
Bengali and Assamese form of Raj.
Royal English
From the given name Royal.
Royama Japanese
蝋 means wax. 山 means mountain.
Roybal Galician (Hispanicized)
Castellanized form of Ruibal.
Roychoudhury Bengali
Alternate transcription of Bengali রায়চৌধুরী (see Roychowdhury).
Roychowdhury Bengali
Combination of Roy and Chowdhury.
Royintan Persian
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]
Roys English
From the given name Roy.
Royse English
From the medieval female given name Royse the medieval form of Rose. Variant of Rose 2.
Royznbarg Yiddish
Yiddish form of Rosenberg.
Rozario Indian (Christian), Bengali
Form of Rosário used by Christians in India and Bangladesh.
Rozbiewski Polish (?)
Unknown, possibly related to any of the words: rozbież ("crossroads", "outskirts"),... [more]
Rozelle French
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.
Rozema Frisian
Possibly a contraction of Roelfsema meaning "son of Roelf" or derived from Roos. Also spelled Rosema, Roosma, Rozeman.