Rowan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


The illustrious surname Rowan 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. Rowan 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 Rowan family

The surname Rowan 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 Rowan family

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

Rowan 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 Rowan 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 Rowan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rowan Ranking

In the United States, the name Rowan is the 2,029th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Rowan family to Ireland

Some of the Rowan 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.


Rowan migration to the United States +

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

Rowan Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Rowan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Rowan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Rowan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rowan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Rowan migration to Australia +

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

Rowan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Rowan 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:

Rowan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Rowan (post 1700) +
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