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Early Origins of the Roman family

The surname Roman was first found in Naples, (Italian: Napoli, Latin: Neapolis) where Alatrino Romano became Baron of the city of Naples in 1286. An admiral bearing the name of Romano lived around the year 1316. He was promoted to this rank by King Roberto D'Angi.

Early History of the Roman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roman research. Another 57 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1484, 1490, 1546, 1654 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Roman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roman Spelling Variations

Surnames that originated in Italy are characterized by an enormous number of spelling variations. Some of these are derived from regional traditions and dialects. Northern names, for instance, often end in "o", while southern names tend to end in "i". Other variations come from the fact the medieval scribes tended to spell according to the sound of words, rather than any particular set of rules. The recorded variations of Roman include Romano, Romani, Romàn, Romanèlli, Romanelli, Romanello, Romanèllo, Romaniéllo, Romanéti, Romanetti, Romanini, Romanino, Romanin, Romanucci, Romanazzi, Romanatti, Romanuto and many more.

Early Notables of the Roman family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • Girolamo Romano, born in Brescia in 1484 whose paintings are on display today all over Europe and the United States
  • Giulio Romano (c. 1490-1546), a painter and architect born in Rome, who worked and studied under the famous Renaissance artist Raphael. Giulio designed a villa for Cardinal Giulio de'Medici and was a...

Roman Ranking

In the United States, the name Roman is the 515th most popular surname with an estimated 57,201 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Roman is ranked the 1,105th most popular surname with an estimated 4,924 people with that name. 2


United States Roman migration to the United States +

Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Roman or a variant listed above:

Roman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Susan Roman, who arrived in Maryland in 1671 3
Roman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Romain Roman, aged 26, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 3
Roman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Miguel Roman, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1804 3
  • Lorenzo Roman, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1813 3
  • Martin Roman, who landed in America in 1813 3
  • Batiste Roman, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1813 3
  • Pero Roman, who landed in America in 1827 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Roman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Roman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Adam Roman, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • John Roman, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Contemporary Notables of the name Roman (post 1700) +

  • Freddie Roman (1937-2022), born Fred Kirschenbaum, an American stand-up comedian, best known for his frequent appearances at "Borscht Belt" hotels
  • Tony San Roman, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Texas State House of Representatives, 2002 (77th District), 2012 (75th District)
  • Twyla Roman, American Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives
  • Brian P. Roman, American astronomer
  • L'ubomír Roman (1944-2022), Slovak politician, Member of the Christian Democratic Movement, he served as Minister of Culture from March to December 1994
  • Dan Mihai Roman (b. 1985), Romanian football striker
  • Marcel Nicolás Román (b. 1988), Uruguayan footballer
  • Raúl Basilio Román (b. 1977), Paraguayan football striker
  • Mihai Roman (b. 1984), Romanian footballer
  • Johan Helmich Roman (1694-1758), Swedish composer
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. Petra Roman (1884-1914), Romanian Third Class Passenger from Temesvár, Romania who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 4


Suggested Readings for the name Roman +

  • Pioneer Families by Becky Hardin.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. 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)
  4. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html


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