Show ContentsRollins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Rollins is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Rollins comes from the Norman given name Radulphus. 1 This name, which also occurs as Ralf, Rolf, and Raoul, is adapted from the Old French given name Raol. Alternatively, the name could have been a baptismal name as in "the son of Rowland" which is pronounced Rawland and Rolland in Furness and Cumberland, "where a large family of Rawlinsons has sprung up, undoubtedly descendants of Rowland through Rawlandson." 2

Early Origins of the Rollins family

The surname Rollins was first found in Oxfordshire where William Raulyn was listed at Evynsham in 1290. A few years later, John Rawlynes was found in Warwickshire in 1343. Almost two hundred years later, Richard Rawlinson was listed in Yorkshire in 1538. 3

The Rawlin, Rawline and Rawling spellings have been frequent in Scotland since the 16th century. Concentrated in Dumfriesshire, one of the first records was David Rawlynge who held a "botha seu opella" in Dumfries, 1588. Marcus Raulling was listed in Glencapill in 1630, Catherine Railing in Dumfries, 1642, and Thomas Rawling of Dumfries, 1696. 4 Some of the family were far to the south in Lansalloes, Cornwall where "the family of Rawlings" held titles. 5

Early History of the Rollins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rollins research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1508, 1521, 1523, 1536, 1576, 1610, 1620, 1631, 1647, 1670, 1679, 1690, 1705, 1706, 1708, 1755 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Rollins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rollins Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Rawlings, Rawlins, Rawlington, Rawlinson and others.

Early Notables of the Rollins family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Richard Rawlins (died 1536), English cleric, Bishop of St David's (1523-1536) and Warden of Merton College, Oxford (1508-1521); Thomas Rawlins (c.1620-1670), an English medallist and playwright; John Rawlinson (1576-1631), an English churchman and academic who was principal of St Edmund Hall, Oxford from 1610; Sir Thomas Rawlinson (1647-1708), Lord Mayor of the City of...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rollins Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rollins Ranking

In the United States, the name Rollins is the 798th most popular surname with an estimated 37,305 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Rollins family to Ireland

Some of the Rollins family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Rollins migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Rollins or a variant listed above were:

Rollins Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • James Rollins, who landed in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1632 7
Rollins Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Ben jamen Rollins, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1787 7
Rollins Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Elithabet Rollins, who arrived in Texas in 1835 7
  • Stephen Rollins, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1866 7
  • Thomas Rollins, who landed in Arkansas in 1890 7

Rollins migration to Australia +

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

Rollins Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Rollins, (b. 1826), aged 26, Cornish butcher departing from Plymouth on 21st May 1852 aboard the ship "Priam" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 25th August 1852 8
  • Mrs. Jane Rollins, (b. 1827), aged 25, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth on 21st May 1852 aboard the ship "Priam" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 25th August 1852 8
  • Mr. Thomas Rollins, (b. 1850), aged 2, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth on 21st May 1852 aboard the ship "Priam" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 25th August 1852 8
  • Miss Elizabeth Rollins, (b. 1851), aged 1, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth on 21st May 1852 aboard the ship "Priam" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 25th August 1852 8
  • Miss Matilda Rollins, (b. 1851), aged 1, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth on 21st May 1852 aboard the ship "Priam" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 25th August 1852 8

Rollins 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:

Rollins Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • H. Rollins, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Viscount Sandon" in 1860
  • Mr. Harry Rollins, British settler travelling from Liverpool (Mersey) aboard the ship "Viscount Sandon" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand then Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in 1860 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Rollins (post 1700) +

  • Phil Lee Rollins (1934-2021), American professional basketball player who played from 1958 to 1963
  • Richard Randall Rollins (1931-2020), American billionaire businessman, the chairman of Rollins Inc., the US's largest pest control conglomerate
  • Jack Rollins (1915-2015), born Jacob Rabinowitz, an American twelve-time Primetime Emmy nominated film producer and manager, known for his work with Woody Allen and most recently in Late Night with David Letterman (1982), Midnight in Paris (2011) and Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
  • Brigadier-General Francis Willard Rollins (1893-1966), American Commanding Officer Artillery 66th Division (1943-1945) 10
  • Reed Clark Rollins (1911-1998), American botanist, professor at Harvard University
  • Kevin Barney Rollins (b. 1952), American businessman and philanthropist, former President and CEO of Dell Computers
  • John Rollins (b. 1975), American professional PGA golfer
  • Edward Henry Rollins (1824-1889), American politician, United States Representative and Senator from New Hampshire
  • Richard John Rollins (b. 1938), American former Major League Baseball third baseman
  • Wayne Monte "Tree" Rollins (b. 1955), retired American professional NBA basketball player
  • ... (Another 39 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Grover Shoe factory
  • Mr. Charles Rollins (b. 1871), American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; he survived with burns 11
USS Indianapolis
  • Willard Eugene Rollins, American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 12


The Rollins Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Cognosce teipsum et disce pati
Motto Translation: Know thyself, and learn to suffer.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  5. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. 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)
  8. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Francis Rollins. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Rollins/Francis_Willard/USA.html
  11. California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
  12. Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew


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