Show ContentsRolfs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Rolfs Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Rolfs

What does the name Rolfs mean?

The surname Rolfs is a name of ancient Norman origin, arriving in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The surname Rolfs derives from the Middle English personal (pre-surname) name Rolf. It is thought that the earliest origins of the name are Nordic, and that the name reached England in both pre-Norman Nordic invasion, and with the Normans.

"Found as the name of a peasant in Danish Lincolnshire, it must sometimes be Anglo-Scandinavian, but the name was also common in Normandy where it became OFr Roul, Rou, often Latinized as Rollo and it is to this that the frequency and variety of the surnames are due." 1

Early Origins of the Rolfs family

The surname Rolfs was first found in 1066 where the singular name Rolfe was listed in Northumberland and Norfolk. The same source listed the name Routf in Leicestershire at that time. 1 By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, other entries were found, specifically, Turstinus filius Rolf, Rou, Roffi and Robertus filius Rolui, Roulf. 2 "It was the name of the first Duke of Normandy (Rolf-r or Hrolf-r, contraction from Hróþúlf-r and Latinized Rollo)." 3

In Lincolnshire, the name Roolf was listed in 1142 as was Rolfde in Ormesby in 1147. Later in Devon, we found Martin Rof in 1242. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included the following entries: Allan Rolfe, Cambridgeshire; Roger Rolf, Huntingdonshire; and John Rolf, Oxfordshire. 4

Early History of the Rolfs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rolfs research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1297, 1332, 1585, 1614, 1615, 1622, 1654, 1655, 1676, 1680 and 1721 are included under the topic Early Rolfs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rolfs Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Roffe, Rolfe, Rolph, Rolphe, Roalph and others.

Early Notables of the Rolfs family

John Rolfe (c.1585-1622), an early English settler of North America, credited with the first successful cultivation of tobacco in Virginia, perhaps best known as the husband of Pocahontas, daughter of the chief of...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rolfs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rolfs migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Rolfs or a variant listed above:

Rolfs Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Conrad Rolfs, who arrived in America in 1777-1783 5
Rolfs Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • C. Rolfs, aged 38, settler from Denmark who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Howard" in 1835 6
  • Elis Rolfs, who landed in America in 1837 5
  • H. Rolfs, aged 44, settler from Brunswick who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Emigrant" in 1846 6
  • Josephine Rolfs, aged 55, German settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Magdalena" in 1847 6
  • Wilhelmine Rolfs, aged 23, German settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Magdalena" in 1847 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Rolfs (post 1700) +

  • Peter Henry Rolfs (1865-1944), American agronomist who directed the Florida Agriculture Experiment Station from 1905 to 1920, and from 1915 to 1920 served as the Dean of the College of Agriculture at the University of Florida
  • Claus E. Rolfs (b. 1941), German experimental physicist, known for his laboratory research related to nuclear astrophysics
  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. 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)
  6. Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result

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