Show ContentsRowand History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The illustrious surname Rowand is classified as a habitation surname, which was originally derived from a place-name, and is one form of surname belonging to a broader group called hereditary surnames. Habitation names were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Topographic names, form the other broad category of surnames that was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.

Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. Rowand is a place-name from in Rouen, the capital of Normandy. The surname was derived from the Viscountcy of Rohan, in Brittany, in France. As a local name, it could also have been derived from the local at the rowan which referred to a residence beside a rowan-tree. Habitation names were derived from the name of the town, village or hamlet where the person originally lived.

Early Origins of the Rowand family

The surname Rowand was first found in Durham where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Rowand family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rowand research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1366, 1393, 1618, 1639, 1692 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Rowand History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rowand Spelling Variations

Since the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Roan, Rohan, Roohan, Rome, Rowan and others.

Early Notables of the Rowand family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Rougham (died 1393), the second master of Gonville Hall, Cambridge. He had been a fellow of the college since the 1350s...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rowand Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Rowand family to Ireland

Some of the Rowand family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 112 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Rowand migration to the United States +

Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Rowand, or a variant listed above:

Rowand Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Rowand, who arrived in America in 1811 [1]
  • Mrs. Rowand, aged 27, who landed in America, in 1895
Rowand Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Alexander Rowand, aged 18, who landed in America from Paisley, Scotland, in 1902
  • William Rowand, who landed in America, in 1908
  • Alexander Rowand, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States from Paisley, Scotland, in 1911
  • Andrew Rowand, aged 23, who settled in America from Bishopton, Scotland, in 1912
  • Margaret Rowand, aged 60, who immigrated to the United States from Redhill, England, in 1922
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Rowand migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rowand Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Margaret Rowand, aged 58, who immigrated to Quebec, Canada, in 1916

Australia Rowand migration to Australia +

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

Rowand Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Catherine Rowand, (Morrison), Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duchess of Northumberland" on 25th November 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Rowand (post 1700) +

  • Aaron Ryan Rowand (b. 1977), American Major League Baseball outfielder
  • Harry Ware Rowand, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1928 [3]
  • Harry H. Rowand, American Republican politician, Common pleas court judge in Pennsylvania 5th District, 1922-29 [3]
  • George B. Rowand, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1936 [3]
  • James Rowand (1830-1897), Scottish-born, Canadian farmer and politician in Ontario who represented Bruce West in the Canadian House of Commons from 1887 to 1896
  • John Rowand (1787-1854), Canadian fur trader for the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company, Chief Factor at Fort Edmonton


  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. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duchess-of-northumberland
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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