Show ContentsRoster History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Roster is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Roster family lived in Yorkshire, at Rostherne. Rawsthorn is derived from Old Norman names that mean red, and torn. Accordingly, the name means dweller by the thorns.

Early Origins of the Roster family

The surname Roster was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Fryston, and were conjecturally descended from Gerbodo, a Norman noble, who held those lands at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086, a census initiated by Duke William of Normandy after his conquest of England in 1066. This family emerged with several basic spellings, Rawson, which became popular in Yorkshire in all their various branches, Rawsthorne and Rawstorne and Rostron and Rawstorn all became more popular in Lancashire.

Early History of the Roster family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roster research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1683 and 1965 are included under the topic Early Roster History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roster Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Rawstorne, Rawsthorne, Rawstorn, Rawstron, Rawstrone, Rawsthorn, Rostron and many more.

Early Notables of the Roster family

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


United States Roster migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Roster or a variant listed above:

Roster Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Elizabeth Roster, who landed in Maryland in 1678 1
Roster Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johann Roster, who arrived in America in 1781 1
Roster Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Gabriel Roster, aged 46, who arrived in Missouri in 1848 1
  • James Roster, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 1

Australia Roster migration to Australia +

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

Roster Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Robert Roster who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 2

SS Atlantic
  • J. Roster, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking


  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 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden


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