Rohan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:

England

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The illustrious surname Rohan 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. Rohan 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 Rohan family

The surname Rohan 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 Rohan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rohan 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 Rohan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rohan Spelling Variations

Since 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 Rohan family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Rougham (died 1393), the second master of Gonville Hall, Cambridge. He had been a fellow of the college since the 1350s...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rohan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rohan Ranking

In the United States, the name Rohan is the 11,464^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Rohan family to Ireland

Some of the Rohan 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.

Rohan migration to the United States +

Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Rohan, or a variant listed above:

Rohan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

H S Rohan, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
J P Rohan, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
Georges Rohan, aged 17, who landed in New York, NY in 1852 2
Tim and Fanny Rohan, who settled in New York State in 1853
Fanny Rohan and her son Tim, aged 7, who arrived in New York State in 1853
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rohan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rohan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mrs. Elizabeth Rohan, aged 33 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Greenock" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 3
Miss. Bridget Rohan, aged 4 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "John Munn" departing 16th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 13th August 1847 but she died on board 4
Mr. James Rohan, aged 40 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Lotus" departing 15th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 24th June 1847 but he died on board 4
Mrs. Mary Rohan who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "John Munn" departing 16th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 13th August 1847 but she died on board 4

Rohan migration to Australia +

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

Rohan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Bridget Rohan, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Glentanner" 5

Rohan 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:

Rohan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Elisa Rohan, aged 21, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alumbagh" in 1875 6
Michael Rohan, aged 21, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1878
Martin Rohan, aged 20, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1878

Contemporary Notables of the name Rohan (post 1700) +

Ms. Johanna Alexandra Rohan B.E.M., British Chair for Canterbury Unit of Sea Cadet Corps, was appointed Medallist of the British Empire Medal 29th December 2018 for voluntary service to Young People in Kent 7
Michael Scott Rohan (b. 1951), Scottish fantasy and science fiction author
Denis Michael Rohan (1941-1995), Australian who attempted to burn down the al-Aqsa mosque in 1969
Louis Rohan Tillett (1959-2023), Australian rock music singer-songwriter, keyboardist and saxophonist, front man in Australian bands The Wet Taxis, Paris Green and The Aspersion Caste
Gareth Rohan Breese (b. 1976), West Indian cricketer
Rohan Rebeiro, Australian drummer, known for his work with the Australian-Irish band Clann Zú
Rohan Spong (b. 1981), Australian film director and photographer
Rohan Veal (b. 1977), Australian specialist in the International Moth Class dinghy class
Rohan Deakin Rivett (1917-1977), Australian journalist, author and editor of the Adelaide newspaper The News (1951 to 1960)
Rohan Ricketts (b. 1982), English soccer player