Rolfes Surname History

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The surname Rolfes is a name of ancient Norman origin, arriving in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The surname Rolfes 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 Rolfes family

The surname Rolfes 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 Rolfes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rolfes 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 Rolfes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rolfes Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Roffe, Rolfe, Rolph, Rolphe, Roalph and others.

Early Notables of the Rolfes 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...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rolfes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rolfes Ranking

In the United States, the name Rolfes is the 14,777^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Rolfes family

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Rolfes or a variant listed above: James Rolfe and his wife Elizabeth Rolfe, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 with their son; Barbary Rofe who settled in New England in 1635; William Rofe, who arrived in Barbados in 1635.

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/