Show ContentsRother History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The German state of Bavaria is the ancestral home of the Rother family. Nickname surnames, such as Rother, were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The family name Rother is a name for a person associated with the color red. The name comes from the Old German word "rot," meaning "red," and could have indicated that its bearer had red hair or a red beard, lived in a red house, or often dressed in red clothes.

Early Origins of the Rother family

The surname Rother was first found in Bavaria, where the name could be considered to have made a great contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone of modern Europe. The name became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the tribal and national conflicts, with each group seeking power and status in an ever changing territorial profile. Chronicles first mention the brothers Jeckel and Tilke Rote of Breslau in 1350, and Merklin der Rotter of Esslingen in 1307. Literally the name meant "red-haired" or "red-bearded," thus the oldest variation was possibly "Rothbart."

Early History of the Rother family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rother research. Another 274 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1245, 1288, 1300, 1360, 1434, 1552, 1620, 1653, 1668, 1700 and 1704 are included under the topic Early Rother History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rother Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Rother include Rothe, Rote, Rot, Roth (southern Germany), Roter, Rother (Silesia), Rothe, Rothbart and many more.

Early Notables of the Rother family

Prominent among members of the name Rother in this period include Johannes Rothe (1360-1434), a Thuringian priest who wrote instructional works on chivalry and heraldry and a history...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rother Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rother Ranking

In the United States, the name Rother is the 11,461st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Rother migration to the United States +

German settlers were among the most common to come to North America between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries. Poverty and religious persecution drove many Bavarians to make this long trek. tenant farmers were also enticed by the prospect of owning land. From east to west, these German immigrants populated the United States, settling in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada also provided homes to many. Early settlers bearing the Rother surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Rother Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Christian Rother, aged 43, who arrived in America in 1839 [2]
  • Johann Ernst Rother, aged 20, who landed in America in 1839 [2]
  • Johann Gottlieb Rother, aged 32, who arrived in America in 1839 [2]
  • Julius Gustav Rother, aged 18, who landed in America in 1839 [2]
  • Ant Rother, aged 36, who landed in New York, NY in 1855 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Rother (post 1700) +

  • Stanley Rother (1935-1981), American Catholic priest, missionary to Guatemala who was murdered on July 28, 1981, by a death squad
  • Mike Rother (b. 1958), American engineer, researcher, teacher, and public speaker
  • Helene Rother (1908-1999), German-born, American automotive and industrial designer, the first woman to work as an automotive designer in 1943
  • Caitlin Rother (b. 1962), Canadian-born, American author and journalist
  • Frederick G. Rother, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1908 [3]
  • F. Gustav Rother, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1920 [3]
  • Sabine Röther (b. 1957), East German bronze medalist handball player at the 1980 Summer Olympics
  • Michael Rother (b. 1950), German experimental musician and composer
  • Leopold Siegfried Rother (1894-1978), German architect, urban planner, and educator
  • Joachim Rother (b. 1948), German bronze medalist Olympian backstroke swimmer
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook