Show ContentsRoa History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The noble Spanish surname Roa is toponymic in origin, based on the name of the place where the initial bearer once resided or held land. The surname Roa is taken directly from the Spanish word "rueda," derived from the Latin "rota," meaning literally "arched wood that forms a bow." The word in Catalan is "roda," also meaning "wheel."

Early Origins of the Roa family

The surname Roa was first found in the mountains of Burgos, in the northern regions of the Iberian peninsula. Early records of the name Roa show that Francisco de Perellos, Carmalengo del Rey, was granted the noble title of Viscount of Rueda by Pedro IV de Aragon in 1366.

Early History of the Roa family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roa research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1505 and 1565 are included under the topic Early Roa History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roa Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Roda, Rota, Roa, Ruedas and others.

Early Notables of the Roa family

Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Roa Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roa Ranking

In the United States, the name Roa is the 8,438th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Roa migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Roa Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Francisco De Roa, who landed in Espanola in 1812 [2]
  • Pedro De Roa, who landed in America in 1814 [2]
  • Trinidad Roa, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1826 [2]
  • Diego Roa, who arrived in New Spain in 1875 [2]
  • Mariano Roa, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1876 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Roa (post 1700) +

  • Joseph Rodger "Joe" Roa (b. 1971), nicknamed "The Roa Constrictor", American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played from 1995 to 2004
  • Raúl Roa García (1907-1982), Cuban intellectual, politician and diplomat
  • Carlos Ángel Roa (b. 1969), retired Argentine footballer
  • Raúl Roa García (1907-1982), Cuban intellectual, politician and diplomat
  • Augustos Roa Bastos (b. 1917), one of the greatest Paraguayan novelists of all time, and indeed among the most important Latin American writers


  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)


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