Show ContentsRowlett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Rowlett family

The surname Rowlett was first found in Cheshire where the family claim to be of Saxon blood but the earliest record of the name was in the time of Edward II., when Randolph de Rowley was seated at Carmichan. 1

The name could have been Norman in origin too. "Roulat is now rather rare in France; but Roulet (and Roullet) and Roulot are fairly common." 2

There are also parishes named Rowley in Yorkshire and Staffordshire. The Assize Rolls of Yorkshire list Adam de Ruelay in 1219 3 and the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Adam de Roulay in Yorkshire. There was a significant branch in Somerset as seen by Gervase Rolegh and John Roley who were listed there during the reign of Edward I. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls lists Johannes de Rouley in 1379. 4

Early History of the Rowlett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rowlett research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1513, 1547, 1559, 1560, 1571, 1585, 1626, 1633, 1642, 1648, 1690, 1710, 1768, 1775 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Rowlett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rowlett Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Rowley, Rowly and others.

Early Notables of the Rowlett family

Distinguished members of the family include

Rowlett Ranking

In the United States, the name Rowlett is the 7,460th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5

Ireland Migration of the Rowlett family to Ireland

Some of the Rowlett family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Rowlett migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rowlett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Jon Rowlett, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 6
  • Judith Rowlett, who landed in Virginia in 1657 6
Rowlett Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Alfred Ernest Rowlett, aged 29, originally from Leicester, who arrived in New York in 1906 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England 7
  • John Rowlett, aged 46, originally from Croyden, who arrived in New York in 1907 aboard the ship "Campania" from Liverpool, England 7
  • Ruth Rosa Rowlett, aged 59, originally from Chipperham, England, who arrived in New York in 1908 aboard the ship "Adriatic" from Southampton, England 7
  • John Rowlett, aged 48, originally from Brighton, England, who arrived in New York in 1909 aboard the ship "Mauretania" from Liverpool, England 7
  • John Rowlett, aged 52, originally from London, England, who arrived in New York in 1913 aboard the ship "Campania" from Liverpool, England 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Rowlett migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Rowlett Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. George Rowlett, (b. 1852), aged 22, English blacksmith from Essex travelling from London aboard the ship "Tweed" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1874 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Rowlett (post 1700) +

  • John Miles Rowlett (1914-1978), American architect and co-founder of Caudill Rowlett Scott, an architecture firm in Houston, Texas in 1946
  • Bascom Joseph Rowlett (1886-1947), American architect in Richmond, Virginia
  • Margaret Rowlett (1897-1963), American author from North Carolina who designed children's draperies and bedspreads, and wrote two books for children with the theme "Cricket," her nickname as a child
  • Charles Tracy Rowlett (b. 1942), American Emmy Award winning television journalist and former anchor and managing editor
  • Frank Byron Rowlett (1908-1998), American cryptologist, inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame, eponym of the Frank Byron Rowlett Award


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. 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)
  7. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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