Contents [hide]

Rohan History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Rohan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

Early Origins of the Rohan family

The surname Rohan was first found in East Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they were a sept of the Ui Maine. The name is derived from the Irish and Gaelic Ruadhan (dh mute)-ruadh, which means red or red-haired. 1

The progenitor of the Rohan family is Felix O'Ruadháin, Archbishop of Tuam, an Irish prelate at the Lateran Council in Rome in 1215. 2

Early History of the Rohan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rohan research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1564, 1751 and 1834 are included under the topic Early Rohan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rohan Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Roan, Rohan, Roohan, Ruane, Ruane, O Rouine, Rogan, O Rogan, Rowan and many more.

Early Notables of the Rohan family

Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rohan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rohan Ranking

In the United States, the name Rohan is the 11,464^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Rohan family to Ireland

Some of the Rohan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rohan migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rohan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

H S Rohan, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
J P Rohan, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
Georges Rohan, aged 17, who landed in New York, NY in 1852 4
Tim and Fanny Rohan, who settled in New York State in 1853
Fanny Rohan and her son Tim, aged 7, who arrived in New York State in 1853
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rohan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rohan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mrs. Elizabeth Rohan, aged 33 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Greenock" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 5
Miss. Bridget Rohan, aged 4 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "John Munn" departing 16th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 13th August 1847 but she died on board 6
Mr. James Rohan, aged 40 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Lotus" departing 15th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 24th June 1847 but he died on board 6
Mrs. Mary Rohan who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "John Munn" departing 16th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 13th August 1847 but she died on board 6

Rohan migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Rohan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Bridget Rohan, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Glentanner" 7

Rohan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Rohan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Elisa Rohan, aged 21, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alumbagh" in 1875 8
Michael Rohan, aged 21, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1878
Martin Rohan, aged 20, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1878

Contemporary Notables of the name Rohan (post 1700) +

Ms. Johanna Alexandra Rohan B.E.M., British Chair for Canterbury Unit of Sea Cadet Corps, was appointed Medallist of the British Empire Medal 29th December 2018 for voluntary service to Young People in Kent 9
Michael Scott Rohan (b. 1951), Scottish fantasy and science fiction author
Denis Michael Rohan (1941-1995), Australian who attempted to burn down the al-Aqsa mosque in 1969
Louis Rohan Tillett (1959-2023), Australian rock music singer-songwriter, keyboardist and saxophonist, front man in Australian bands The Wet Taxis, Paris Green and The Aspersion Caste
Gareth Rohan Breese (b. 1976), West Indian cricketer
Rohan Rebeiro, Australian drummer, known for his work with the Australian-Irish band Clann Zú
Rohan Spong (b. 1981), Australian film director and photographer
Rohan Veal (b. 1977), Australian specialist in the International Moth Class dinghy class
Rohan Deakin Rivett (1917-1977), Australian journalist, author and editor of the Adelaide newspaper The News (1951 to 1960)
Rohan Ricketts (b. 1982), English soccer player

The Rohan Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Cresco per crucem
Motto Translation: I increase by the cross

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 53)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 94)
South Australia Passengerlists (Retrieved 10th November 2010). Retrieved from https://archives.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/documentstore/passengerlists/1855/GRG35_48_1_55-35_Glentanner.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists