Show ContentsRohde History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Rohde is derived from one of several places in Germany named Roden. Surnames were often derived from the place where the initial bearer once lived or held land. Often after a person had moved, the name would be used to indicate where a person had come from.

Early Origins of the Rohde family

The surname Rohde was first found in Prussia, and various parts of the Holy Roman Empire. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to 1289 when Jacob dictus (called) Rode was a Chorister in the city of Worms, Rhineland-Palatinate.

Early History of the Rohde family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rohde research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1437, 1590, 1627, 1692, 1736, 1783 and 1790 are included under the topic Early Rohde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rohde Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Rohde, Roden, Rohden and others.

Early Notables of the Rohde family

Notables of the time with the name Rohde included

  • Johann Martin Von Rohden (1627-1692), was a Dutch painter...

Rohde Ranking

In the United States, the name Rohde is the 4,891st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1


United States Rohde migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rohde Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Friedrich Rohde, who arrived in America in 1783 2
Rohde Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joh Bernh Conr Rohde, aged 31, who arrived in America in 1814 2
  • Meta Rohde, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 2
  • Os twald Rohde, aged 33, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1845 2
  • Christian Rohde, aged 44, who arrived in America in 1846 2
  • Jacob Rohde, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Rohde migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rohde Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Johannes Rohde, aged 4, who arrived in Quebec in 1868
  • Johannus Rohde, aged 27, who landed in Quebec in 1868
  • Maria Rohde, aged 5, who arrived in Quebec in 1868

Contemporary Notables of the name Rohde (post 1700) +

  • Leonard Emil Rohde (1938-2017), American football offensive tackle who played fifteen seasons for the San Francisco 49ers (1960-1974)
  • Michael Rohde (b. 1959), American chess grandmaster
  • Gilbert Rohde (1894-1944), American furniture designer, known for his American modernism designs
  • David N. Rohde (b. 1948), American Sculptor
  • David Stephenson Rohde (b. 1967), American two-time Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, kidnapped by members of the Taliban in November 2008, but managed to escape in June 2009
  • Steffen Rohde, American professor of Mathematics at the University of Washington
  • Helmut Rohde (1925-2016), German politician, Federal Minister of Education and Science (1974-1978)
  • Lothar Rohde, German businessman, co-founder of Rohde & Schwarz in 1933
  • Klaus Rohde (b. 1932), German biologist at the University of New England (UNE), Australia
  • Michael Rohde (1782-1812), German botanist
  • ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bismarck
  • Erich Rohde (1917-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 3


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details


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