Contents [hide]

Rolf History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Rolf History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The surname Rolf is a name of ancient Norman origin, arriving in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The surname Rolf derives from the Middle English personal (pre-surname) name Rolf. It is thought that the earliest origins of the name are Nordic, and that the name reached England in both pre-Norman Nordic invasion, and with the Normans.

"Found as the name of a peasant in Danish Lincolnshire, it must sometimes be Anglo-Scandinavian, but the name was also common in Normandy where it became OFr Roul, Rou, often Latinized as Rollo and it is to this that the frequency and variety of the surnames are due." 1

Early Origins of the Rolf family

The surname Rolf was first found in 1066 where the singular name Rolfe was listed in Northumberland and Norfolk. The same source listed the name Routf in Leicestershire at that time. 1 By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, other entries were found, specifically, Turstinus filius Rolf, Rou, Roffi and Robertus filius Rolui, Roulf. 2 "It was the name of the first Duke of Normandy (Rolf-r or Hrolf-r, contraction from Hróþúlf-r and Latinized Rollo)." 3

In Lincolnshire, the name Roolf was listed in 1142 as was Rolfde in Ormesby in 1147. Later in Devon, we found Martin Rof in 1242. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included the following entries: Allan Rolfe, Cambridgeshire; Roger Rolf, Huntingdonshire; and John Rolf, Oxfordshire. 4

Early History of the Rolf family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rolf research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1297, 1332, 1585, 1614, 1615, 1622, 1654, 1655, 1676, 1680 and 1721 are included under the topic Early Rolf History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rolf Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Roffe, Rolfe, Rolph, Rolphe, Roalph and others.

Early Notables of the Rolf family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Rolfe (c.1585-1622), an early English settler of North America, credited with the first successful cultivation of tobacco in Virginia, perhaps best known as the husband of Pocahontas, daughter of...
Thomas Rolfe (1615-1680), the only child of Pocahontas by her English husband, John Rolfe

Rolf Ranking

In the United States, the name Rolf is the 9,291^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Rolf migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Rolf or a variant listed above:

Rolf Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Rolf, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1775 6
James Rolf, who arrived in Virginia in 1776 6

Rolf Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Anton Rolf, who landed in America in 1834 6
Gerh Heinr Rolf, who arrived in America in 1836 6
Bern Heinr Rolf, aged 44, who arrived in America in 1843 6
Josephine Rolf, who arrived in America in 1843 6
M Christ Rolf, who landed in America in 1844 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rolf 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:

Rolf Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Rolf, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ballarat" in 1867

Contemporary Notables of the name Rolf (post 1700) +

Ida P. Rolf (1896-1979), American biochemist and founder of Rolfing, a holistic health discipline
Tom Rolf (1931-2014), Swedish-born American film editor, son of Ernst Rolf
Ernst Ragnar Rolf (1931-2014), better known as Tom Rolf, was a Swedish-born American film editor
Dr Ida Pauline Rolf (1896-1979), American biochemist and the creator of Structural Integration (Rolfing)
Ernst Rolf (1891-1932), Swedish actor and singer
Ernst Rolf (1891-1932), professionally born as Ernst Ragnar Johansson a Swedish actor, singer and composer and musical revue artist
Harold Rolf Bamberg (b. 1923), British army Commander, who received the Order of the British Empire, and was later chairman of Bamberg Group Ltd.(1968)
Rolf Zick (1921-2024), German journalist
Rolf Wouters (b. 1963), Dutch television presenter
Rolf Caroli (1933-2007), East German amateur light-middleweight boxer who won bronze medals at the European championships in 1955, 1957 and 1959

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"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)