Rourk History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish name Rourk has a long Gaelic heritage to its credit. The original Gaelic form of the name Rourk is Ó Ruairc, which means descendant of Ruairc and; Ruairc is a personal name imported by Norse settlers.

Early Origins of the Rourk family

The surname Rourk was first found in counties Cavan and Leitrim (Irish: Liatroim) anciently the western half of the kingdom of Breifne, located in Northeastern Ireland, in Leinster province.

Of note was Tiernan O'Rourke (d. 1172), King of Breifne, called in Irish Tighearnan Ua Ruairc; he was head of the clans known as the Ui Briuin, or as the race of Aedh finn, and ruled Breifne. He first appears in the chronicles in 1124, and at that date had a son, Gillabroide, who was slain in battle with the Connaughtmen. O'Rourke had a considerable body of cavalry, and was defeated by a similar force under Conchobhar MacLochlainn at Ardee, co. Louth, in 1128. In 1130 he defeated and slew Diarmait O'Maelsechlainn, king of Meath, at Slieve Guaire, co. Cavan, and in the following year he ravaged Cuailgne and Omeath, then districts of Ulster, now in the co. Louth. 1

Nineteen other chiefs or tanists named Tiernan O'Rourke occur in the Irish chronicles, of whom the most important was chief of the race of Aedh finn and of Breifne, married Aine, daughter of Tadhg MacDonnchaidh, and died in 1467. 1

Early History of the Rourk family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rourk research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1046, 1172, 1532, 1536, 1562, 1564, 1566, 1576, 1578, 1591 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Rourk History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rourk Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Rourk that are preserved in archival documents are O'Rourke, O'Rorke, O'Rork, O'Rourk, O'Roark, Rourke, Rorke, Rourk, Roarke and many more.

Early Notables of the Rourk family

Notable among the family name at this time was

Sir Brian-Na-Murtha O'Rourke (d. 1591), Irish chieftain, a younger son of Brian Ballagh O'Rourke. "His grandfather, Owen O'Rourke, who was ‘chief of his name,’ was slain at Dromore in 1532, his son Br...

Rourk migration to the United States +

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Rourk name:

Rourk Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Anne Rourk settled with her husband in Maine in 1822
Owen Rourk, who landed in New York in 1828 2
Patrick Rourk, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 2
Peter Rourk, aged 20, who arrived in America from Liverpool, England, in 1893

Rourk Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Bernard Rourk, aged 30, who arrived in America from Ballinamore, Ireland, in 1910
Bridget Rourk, aged 19, who arrived in America from Clonbisi, Irland, in 1912
G. R. Rourk, aged 29, who arrived in America, in 1919
Frank M. Rourk, aged 48, who arrived in America, in 1921
John Rourk, who arrived in America, in 1922
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rourk migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rourk Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary Rourk, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1802
David Rourk, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1808
John Rourk, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1836

Contemporary Notables of the name Rourk (post 1700) +

David C. Rourk, American Elder in the Church of God by Faith

The Rourk 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: Serviendo guberno
Motto Translation: I govern by serving.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)