Show ContentsRoome History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Roome family

The surname Roome was first found in Dumfriesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Dhùn Phris), a Southern area, bordering on England that today forms part of the Dumfries and Galloway Council Area, where they held a family seat some say from about the 12th century. Seated at Gretna, they early became friends and allies of the great Clan Johnston and later as the numbers of the Clan diminished they held under them for protection. Nevertheless, the Roomes were a Clan in their own right and had a Chief. They were registered in Scottish Parliament as a clan in 1597 and responsible for the defense of Annandale, against the English.

Early History of the Roome family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roome research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1603, 1638, 1770 and 1780 are included under the topic Early Roome History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roome Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Rome, Room, Rooms, Roome, Roomes and others.

Early Notables of the Roome family

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


United States Roome migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Roome Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Roome who arrived in New England in 1753
Roome Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • D Roome, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 1
  • J Roome, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 1
  • Claudius Roome, aged 50, who immigrated to the United States, in 1893
  • Henry Roome, aged 27, who landed in America, in 1895
  • Henry C. Roome, aged 50, who immigrated to the United States, in 1897
Roome Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • George A. Roome, aged 34, who landed in America from Montreal, in 1903
  • Emma C. Roome, who settled in America from Bedford, in 1905
  • Frank Roome, aged 45, who landed in America, in 1910
  • Ada H. Roome, aged 33, who settled in America, in 1912
  • Grace Roome, aged 20, who landed in America from London, England, in 1919
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Roome migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Roome Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Jacob Roome U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1784 he became a Freeman in 1785 was a Saddler 2
  • Mr. William H Roome U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1784 he became a Freeman in 1785 was a Painter 2
  • Mr. William L Roome U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 2
Roome Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Graham Roome, aged 23, who settled in Halifax, Canada, in 1919

West Indies Roome migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 3
Roome Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Roome and son Thomas arrived in Barbados in 1678
  • Abraham Roome, who arrived in Jamaica in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Roome (post 1700) +

  • Howard Le Chevalier Roome (d. 1931), American football player, member of the 1905 College Football All-America Team
  • Edward Roome (d. 1729), English songwriter, the son of an undertaker for funerals in Fleet Street
  • Brigadier Richard Edward Graham Roome (1892-1985), Canadian Deputy Adjutant-General, National Defence Headquarters 4
  • Major-General Sir Horace Roome (1887-1964), Engineer in Chief, Army Headquarters India (1943-1946)
  • William Frederick Roome (1841-1921), Canadian physician and politician in Ontario, representing Middlesex West (1887 to 1896)
  • Alfred Roome (1908-1997), British cinematographer, film editor and occasional director
  • General Oliver Roome (d. 2009), British Chief of Joint Services

Halifax Explosion
  • Mr. George Walter  Roome (1889-1917), Canadian resident from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 5
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Gordon Roome, British Midshipman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking, also sailed aboard the HMS Exeter 6


The Roome 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: Pungit sed placit
Motto Translation: It is painful, but pleasing


  1. 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)
  2. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  4. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 3) Richard Roome. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Roome/Richard_Edward_Graham/Canada.html
  5. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
  6. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html


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