History

Recorded as Roe, Rowe, O'Ruadh and the rare Wroe, this is an English and Irish surname. It has several  possible origins. Perhaps the most likely is as a medieval nichkname from the  Old French word "roi", meaning king, and hence denoting someone who behaved in a  regal fashion, or who had earned the title in some contest of skill or by being  elected "King for the day" in a local festivitial. Secondly and also a nickname  it could derive from the Olde English pre 7th century word "roege", meaning "roe  deer", and hence describe a fast mover. Thje surname is ancient being one of the  first created in the late 11th Century (see below), and early recordings  include: William le Roe the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire in 1170, and Reginald le  Ro , in the "Kalendar of Abbot Samson of Bury St. Edmunds", Suffolk in 1188. In  parish records Elizabeth Roe was christened on September 27th 1553 at the church  of St. Mary Magdalene's, Old Fish Street, London, and Edward Wroe married Ann  Arnoll on April 30th 1592 at the church of St. Stephan's, Coleman Street, alos  city of London. A coat of arms was granted to the family depicts three silver  bucks courant on a blue shield, the crest being a red stag's head erased, and  the Motto "Tramite recta" which translates as "By a direct path". The first  recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ului Ra. This was  dated 1095, in the Feudal Documents from the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds,  Suffolk", during the reign of King William 11nd, known as "Rufus", 1087 - 1100.  Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In  England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames  in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing  variants of the original spelling.

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Name Origin

Red: red hair, red skin, like a Roe Deer. There is also A River Roe in northern Ireland

Spellings & Pronunciations

We don't have any alternate spellings or pronunciation information on the Roe name. Have information to share?

Nationality & Ethnicity

Norway, Normandy, England, Ireland

Famous People named Roe

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Early Roes

These are the earliest records we have of the Roe family.