Roca History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The noble surname Roca is of Spanish descent, and is of locative origin, deriving from a topographic characteristic near the place where the original bearer lived or owned land. The name Roca is derived from the Catalan word "roca" meaning "rock" or "tower of strength."
Early Origins of the Roca family
The surname Roca was first found in the region of Catalonia, an area allied with the powerful kingdom of Aragon during the Middle Ages.
Early History of the Roca family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roca research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1358, 1360 and 1401 are included under the topic Early Roca History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Roca Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Roco, Rocas, Rocca, Rocha and others.
Early Notables of the Roca family
Prominent among bearers of the family name in this era was
- Bernardo Roca, who was granted his nobility by king Don Pedro IV of Aragon in 1360
Roca Ranking
In the United States, the name Roca is the 12,341st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Roca is ranked the 1,279th most popular surname with an estimated 4,414 people with that name. 2
Roca migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Roca Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Francisco DeLa Roca, who landed in America in 1817 3
- Esteban DeLa Roca, who arrived in America in 1828 3
- Catalina DeLa Roca, who landed in America in 1829 3
- Gregorio Roca, aged 35, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1830 3
- Juan Roca, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1875 3
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Roca (post 1700) +
- Pete La Roca (b. 1938), American jazz drummer
- Renée Roca (b. 1963), American ice dancer and choreographer
- Joaquín Martínez de la Roca (1676-1747), Spanish composer
- Miguel Roca (b. 1956), Spanish Olympic fencer
- Emma Roca (b. 1973), Spanish ski mountaineer
- Albert Roca (b. 1982), Spanish handball player
- Joaquín Roca (1923-2004), Peruvian sculptor
- Gaspar Roca (1926-2007), Puerto Rican journalist and economist
- Sorin Roca (b. 1960), Romanian Olympic fencer
- José Antonio Roca (1928-2007), Mexican football player and manager
- ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
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/
- 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)