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Roos History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Roos History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland/England
England
Germany
Scotland

The ancient and distinguished surname Roos is derived from the Middle High German word "rose," meaning "a rose." The name may have been first borne by someone who lived near a rose garden, or by someone who lived in a house bearing the sign of the rose. Alternatively, the name may be of nickname origin, referring to someone with a "rosy" complexion. The surname is common in many European countries, including England, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, as well as Germany, and can be found under a large number of spelling variations.

Early Origins of the Roos family

The surname Roos was first found in Silesia, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation. The origins of the name make it likely that several branches of the family emerged independently during the Middle Ages; there are records dating from the 13th documenting the presence of the name Roos in Schleswig-Holstein, Pomerania, Alsace, Swabia, and Bohemia, as well as Silesia.

Early History of the Roos family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roos research. Another 193 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1579, 1581, 1631, 1639, 1685, 1736, 1762, 1771, 1795, 1798, 1807, 1864 and 1873 are included under the topic Early Roos History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roos Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Rose, Rosse, Rhose, Roese, Roser, Roeser, Roze, Roos, Roose, Roosa, Roosen and many more.

Early Notables of the Roos family

Notables of the period with the surname Roos were

Johann Heinrich Roos (1631-1685), a German Baroque era landscape painter and etcher

Roos World Ranking

In the United States, the name Roos is the 8,251^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Roos is ranked the 2,898^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 2 And in Netherlands, the name Roos is the 94^th popular surname with an estimated 10,635 people with that name. 3 South Africa ranks Roos as 499^th with 14,434 people. 4

Roos migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Roos Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Cornelia Roos, aged 4, who arrived in New York in 1659 5

Roos Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Kristoffel Roos, who landed in New York in 1709 5
Andreas Roos, who landed in New York, NY in 1710-1714 5
Gerret Roos, who landed in New York in 1715 5
Francis Roos, who arrived in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania in 1741 5
Caspar Roos, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roos Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Simon Roos, who arrived in New York in 1835 5
Mr. Georg Herm. Roos, aged 18, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Garonne"
Margareta Katharina Roos, who arrived in Brazil in 1845 5
Mr. Anton Roos, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Element"
Jacob Roos, who arrived in Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Element" 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roos migration to Australia +

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

Roos Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Elizabeth Roos, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Ramillies" in 1849 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Roos (post 1700) +

Michael Y. Roos, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1988 7
Lawrence K. Roos, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1956, 1972 7
John V. Roos, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2008 7
Frederick B. Roos, American Republican politician, Member of Illinois State Senate 7th District; Elected 1922 7
Elbert S. Roos, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1892 7
Caroline Kreisel Roos, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 2008 7
Timo Antero Roos (1936-2023), Finnish teacher and politician
William Roos (1808-1878), born as Roose, Welsh painter born in Amlwch, was the most productive Welsh painter of the first three quarters of the nineteenth century. He has an exhibition, the largest ever showing of his work, through The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Oriel Môn Trust 8
Bertil Roos (1943-2016), Swedish racing driver from Gothenburg
Major-General Harald Vilhelm Roos (1895-1969), Finnish Chief of Supply & Transport at General Headquarters (1941-1944) 9

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAMILIES 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Ramillies.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
https://www.orielmon.org/en-gb/whats-on/william-roos-portrait-of-an-artist
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 5) Harald Roos. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Roos/Harald_Vilhelm/Finland.html