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![Show Contents]() Roan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The illustrious surname Roan is classified as a habitation surname, which was originally derived from a place-name, and is one form of surname belonging to a broader group called hereditary surnames. Habitation names were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Topographic names, form the other broad category of surnames that was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.
Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. Roan is a place-name from in Rouen, the capital of Normandy. The surname was derived from the Viscountcy of Rohan, in Brittany, in France. As a local name, it could also have been derived from the local at the rowan which referred to a residence beside a rowan-tree. Habitation names were derived from the name of the town, village or hamlet where the person originally lived. Early Origins of the Roan familyThe surname Roan was first found in Durham where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. Early History of the Roan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roan research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1366, 1393, 1618, 1639, 1692 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Roan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Roan Spelling VariationsSince the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Roan, Rohan, Roohan, Rome, Rowan and others. Early Notables of the Roan familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was - John Roan (died 1692), was a Welsh born clergyman, Chaplain to James Margetson, Archbishop of Armagh and Church of Ireland Bishop of Killaloe
Roan RankingIn the United States, the name Roan is the 9,642nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1  Migration of the Roan family to Ireland
Some of the Roan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 112 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Roan migration to the United States | + |
Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Roan, or a variant listed above:
Roan Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Mathew Roan, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 2
Roan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Elizabeth Roan settled with her husband in Georgia in 1733
- George Roan, who settled in Georgia in 1733
- Johannes Jerick Roan, aged 28, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 2
- Martin Roan, who landed in New Jersey in 1762 2
- Charles Martin Roan, who arrived in New Jersey in 1762 2
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Roan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Michael Roan, who landed in Massachusetts in 1812 2
- William Roan, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1840 2
| Roan migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Roan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. Patrick Roan, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Edwin Fox" on 24th August 1858, arriving in Western Australia, Australia
| Contemporary Notables of the name Roan (post 1700) | + |
- Michael Phillip Roan (b. 1972), retired American NFL football tight end
- Oscar Bennie Roan III (b. 1951), retired American NFL football tight end
- Paul Roan, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Oklahoma State House of Representatives 20th District; Elected 2002 3
- Nathaniel M. Roan, American politician, Delegate to Whig National Convention from North Carolina, 1839 3
- Gary Lee Roan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1996 3
- Private First Class Charles Howard Roan (1923-1944), United States Marine, awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944, eponym of the USS Charles H. Roan (DD-853)
- Roan Joseph Bronstein, American actor, known for What About Love (2016) and Biography (1987)
| Historic Events for the Roan family | + |
- Mrs. Esther Roan (1865-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 4
- Mr. Ronald P Roan, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 5
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
- HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
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Roan migration to the United States 
Roan migration to Australia 
England
Ireland
