Rocky History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Rocky is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the village of Rock found in the various locations that existed in Worcestershire, Devon and also in Northumberland. The surname also has topographic origins in that it describes the area where the original bearers lived. In this case they lived at some residence near a large boulder or rock face.

Early Origins of the Rocky family

The surname Rocky was first found in Worcestershire where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Rocky family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rocky research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1378, 1379, 1380, 1407 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Rocky History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rocky Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Rocky family name include Rock, Rocks, Roch, Rocke, Rocker, Rooker, Rucker and others.

Early Notables of the Rocky family

More information is included under the topic Early Rocky Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Rocky family to Ireland

Some of the Rocky family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 103 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rocky migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Rocky surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Rocky Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henry Rocky, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1762 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Rocky (post 1700) +

Ricardo Rocky Juarez (b. 1980), Mexican-American professional boxer
Rocky King (1960-2022), ring name of William Boulware Jr., an American professional wrestler and referee in Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling
Rocky Johnson (1944-2020), born Wayde Douglas Bowles, a Canadian professional wrestler, father of professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Rocky Michael Chopra (b. 1983), known as Michael Chopra, an English professional footballer
Rocky Hollifield, American actor, known for his work on Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall (2013), Careful What You Wish For (2015) and West Side Swordy (2015)
Rocky Trottier (b. 1964), Canadian retired professional NHL ice hockey player who played 38 games in the National Hockey League, younger brother of Bryan Trottier
Rocky Burnette (b. 1953), American rock and roll singer and musician, son of Johnny Burnette
Rocky Lockridge (b. 1959), American former WBA super featherweight champion
Rocky Curby, American visual effects specialist, best known for Transformers (2007), Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Rocky Marquette, American film actor

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)