Contents [hide]

Rolfe History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Rolfe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in Scotland were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. Scottish patronymic names emerged as early as the mid-9th century. The patronyms were derived from a variety of given names that were of many different origins. The surname Rolfe is derived from the Old Norse given name Randolph, which itself comes from the Old German words, rat, meaning counsel, and wolf, meaning wolf.

Early Origins of the Rolfe family

The surname Rolfe was first found in the town of Nairn in Nairnshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Narann) in northern Scotland, today part of the Council Area of Highland, where they are thought to have arrived well before the invasion of Britain of Duke William of Normandy in 1066 A.D.

One of the first records of the family was Ralph (died 1144), Bishop of Orkney, whose name usually appears as Ralph Nowell, a native of York, where he became a priest. "York writers assert that, apparently about 1110, Ralph was elected (by men of the Orkneys) to the bishopric of the islands in the church of St. Peter at York." 1

Early History of the Rolfe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rolfe research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1205 and 1452 are included under the topic Early Rolfe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rolfe Spelling Variations

The frequent translations of surnames from and into Gaelic, accounts for the multitude of spelling variations found in Scottish surnames. Furthermore, the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent because medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. The different versions of a surname, such as the inclusion of the patronymic prefix "Mac", frequently indicated a religious or Clan affiliation, or even a division of the family. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into Scotland, accelerating accentuating the alterations to various surnames. The name Rolfe has also been spelled Ralph, Rolph, Rolfe and others.

Early Notables of the Rolfe family

Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rolfe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rolfe Ranking

In the United States, the name Rolfe is the 5,085^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Rolfe migration to the United States +

Some of the first North American settlers with Rolfe name or one of its variants:

Rolfe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Rolfe, (1585 - 1622), who was aboard the ship "Sea Venture" who wrecked in Bermudas in 1609, they managed to build a new ship to continue to Jamestown in 1610, he went on to marry Pocahontas. 3
Mr. Sarah Rolfe, (nee Hacker), who was aboard the ship "Sea Venture" who wrecked in Bermudas in 1609, they managed to build a new ship to continue to Jamestown in 1610 where she died.
Bermuda Rolfe, (1609 -1610), infant, born in Bermuda to Sarah Rolfe who was aboard the Sea Venture after it wrecked off the coast.
Elizabeth Rolfe who settled in Virginia in 1623 along with James her husband, John and Thomas
Elizabeth Rolfe, who arrived in Jamestown, Va in 1624 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rolfe Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Marcus Rolfe, who settled in New Jersey in 1773

Rolfe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Rolfe, who landed in New York in 1839 3

Rolfe migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rolfe Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Paul Rolfe, who landed in Quebec in 1901

Rolfe migration to Australia +

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

Rolfe Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Rolfe who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 24th March 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. George Rolfe who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mr. Joseph Rolfe, British convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for life, transported aboard the "Henry Tanner" on 27th June 1834, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Henry Rolfe, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for life, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
James Rolfe, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Charles Kerr" in 1840 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rolfe migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Rolfe Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Samuel Rolfe, aged 15, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ambrosine" in 1860 9
Mr. John Rolfe, (b. 1848), aged 31, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1879 10
Mrs. Mary Rolfe, (b. 1851), aged 28, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1879 10
Miss Emily Rolfe, (b. 1871), aged 8, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1879 10
Mr. Albert Rolfe, (b. 1873), aged 6, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1879 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rolfe migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 11

Rolfe Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Robert Rolfe, aged 23 who arrived in St. Kitts (St Christopher) aboard the ship "Amity" in 1635 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Rolfe (post 1700) +

Brigadier-General Onslow Sherburne Rolfe (1895-1985), American Deputy Chief of Staff, Army Forces Far East (1953-1954) 12
Sam Rolfe (1924-1993), American screenwriter
William James Rolfe (1827-1910), American Shakespearean scholar and educator
Mrs. Louisa Helen Rolfe O.B.E., British Deputy Chief Constable for West Midlands Police, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Policing 13
Sir Robert Monsey Rolfe (1790-1868), English politician, 1st Baron Cranworth, Lord Chancellor of England in 1852
Frederick William Rolfe (1860-1913), English novelist
David Rolfe Graeber (b. 1961), American-born, England-based anthropologist and anarchist activist
Rolfe L. Wells, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Cass County, 1940, 1942 14
Rolfe S. Saunders, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Memphis, Tennessee, 1861 15
Rolfe E. Rowe, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Bristol, 1924 16

Historic Events for the Rolfe family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Edmund Sturgeon Rolfe (1921-1941), Australian Able Seaman from Northbridge, New South Wales, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 17

Pemberton Mill

Mr. Samuel Rolfe, factory worker in the Pemberton Mill on 10th January 1860 when the mill collapsed trapping 900 workers as rescue attempts continued into the night, an oil lantern was knocked over further engulfing the trapped workers in fire, he died

RMS Lusitania

Mr. George Sommerville Rolfe, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 18

The Rolfe Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Cresco crescendeo
Motto Translation: I increase by increasing.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 8th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/henry-tanner
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CHARLES KERR 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840CharlesKerr.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Onslow Rolfe. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Rolfe/Onslow_Sherburne/USA.html
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/