Roalph History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The surname Roalph is a name of ancient Norman origin, arriving in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The surname Roalph derives from the Middle English personal (pre-surname) name Rolf. It is thought that the earliest origins of the name are Nordic, and that the name reached England in both pre-Norman Nordic invasion, and with the Normans.

"Found as the name of a peasant in Danish Lincolnshire, it must sometimes be Anglo-Scandinavian, but the name was also common in Normandy where it became OFr Roul, Rou, often Latinized as Rollo and it is to this that the frequency and variety of the surnames are due." 1

Early Origins of the Roalph family

The surname Roalph was first found in 1066 where the singular name Rolfe was listed in Northumberland and Norfolk. The same source listed the name Routf in Leicestershire at that time. 1 By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, other entries were found, specifically, Turstinus filius Rolf, Rou, Roffi and Robertus filius Rolui, Roulf. 2 "It was the name of the first Duke of Normandy (Rolf-r or Hrolf-r, contraction from Hróþúlf-r and Latinized Rollo)." 3

In Lincolnshire, the name Roolf was listed in 1142 as was Rolfde in Ormesby in 1147. Later in Devon, we found Martin Rof in 1242. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included the following entries: Allan Rolfe, Cambridgeshire; Roger Rolf, Huntingdonshire; and John Rolf, Oxfordshire. 4

Early History of the Roalph family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roalph research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1297, 1332, 1585, 1614, 1615, 1622, 1654, 1655, 1676, 1680 and 1721 are included under the topic Early Roalph History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roalph Spelling Variations

Anglo-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 Roffe, Rolfe, Rolph, Rolphe, Roalph and others.

Early Notables of the Roalph family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Rolfe (c.1585-1622), an early English settler of North America, credited with the first successful cultivation of tobacco in Virginia, perhaps best known as the...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Roalph Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Roalph family

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 Roalph name or one of its variants: James Rolfe and his wife Elizabeth Rolfe, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 with their son; Barbary Rofe who settled in New England in 1635; William Rofe, who arrived in Barbados in 1635.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)