| ![Show Contents]() Rowden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Rowden surname is a habitational name, taken on from a place name in West Yorkshire. The place name comes from the Old Norse "rauðr" meaning "red," and "du-n," or "hill." Other records show the name translated as “a dweller in the rough valley.” 1 Today, Rawdon is a village in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Early Origins of the Rowden familyThe surname Rowden was first found in West Riding of Yorkshire where the village of Rawdon dates back to before the Domesday Book where it was listed as Roudun and was held be Robert de Bruis. 2 Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Rawdon. The name was derived from the Old Norse word rauthr + the Old English word dun and meant "red hill." 1 "Rawdon, in the parish of Guiseley in this county, is the original seat of this ancient family, which is traced to Thor de Rawdon, whose son Serlo lived in the reign of Stephen." 3 Early History of the Rowden familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rowden research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1582, 1604, 1610, 1662, 1668, 1669, 1684, 1695, 1720, 1750 and 1793 are included under the topic Early Rowden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Rowden Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Rawdon, Rawden, Rawdan, Rawdyn, Rawdin, Rowden, Rowdon and many more. Early Notables of the Rowden familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was Francis Rawdon (1582-c.1668), English noble from Rawdon, Yorkshire; and his son, Sir George Rawdon, 1st Baronet (1604-1684) at Rawdon, Yorkshire, England who moved to Moira, County Down.Marmaduke Rawdon (1610-1669), was an English traveller and antiquary...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rowden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Rowden RankingIn the United States, the name Rowden is the 6,630th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4  Migration of the Rowden family to Ireland
Some of the Rowden family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Rowden migration to the United States | + |
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Rowden name or one of its variants:
Rowden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Robert Rowden, who settled in Virginia in 1636
- Robert Rowden, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 5
- Robert Rowden, who settled in Virginia in 1657
- Elizabeth Rowden, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1683 5
Rowden Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Thomas Rowden, who settled in Philadelphia in 1774
Rowden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- S. Rowden, who settled in Boston in 1823
- Elizabeth Rowden, who arrived in Colorado in 1875
Rowden Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Harry Rowden, who settled in Illinois in 1915
| Rowden migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Rowden Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- Samuel Rowden, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Breakwater" from Plymouth, England
- Ann Rowden, who arrived in Ontario in 1871
- Richard Rowden, who settled in Ontario in 1871
| Rowden migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Rowden Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- James Rowden, aged 37, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Sultana" 6
| Contemporary Notables of the name Rowden (post 1700) | + |
- William F. Rowden, American Republican politician, Member of New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Northumberland; Elected 1938 7
- Thad Rowden, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Arkansas 2nd District, 1920 7
- John C. Rowden (b. 1844), American politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Bay County 2nd District, 1891-92 7
- Frank Rowden, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1904 7
- Caleb Rowden, American Republican politician, Member of Missouri State House of Representatives 44th District; Elected 2012 7
- Mark Rowden (b. 1979), English-born, Australian visual artist
- Diana Hope Rowden MBE (1915-1944), English Special Operations Executive (SOE) member working in occupied territories in WWII, was in a Nazi concentration camp and posthumously awarded the MBE and Croix de Guerre
- Walter Courtney Rowden, British screenwriter and film director in the 1920s
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
- "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)
- South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SULTANA 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/sultana1852.shtml
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Rowden migration to the United States 
Rowden migration to Canada 
Rowden migration to Australia 
England
Ireland
