Roos History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland/England
Germany
Scotland
Ireland

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The name Roos is part of the ancient legacy of the early Norman inhabitants that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Roos was a Norman name used for a person who had the given name Andrew, which is derived from Anrias. The name may also be a nickname derived from the Old English word rouse, which means red or red-haired.

Early Origins of the Roos family

The surname Roos was first found in Yorkshire, although there seems to be two distinct origins of this surname. This history discusses in detail the English/Scottish borders origin of the name. For this origin, the first reference of the name was Godfrey de Ross, a vassal of the de Morevilles, obtaining from Richard de Moreville the lands of Stewarton in Cuningham.

This family of Ros or Ross came from Yorkshire. James de Ros, Reginald de Ross and Peter de Ross appear about the same time also as vassals of Richard de Moreville. These people are also listed as witnesses in his charters. The aforementioned Godfrey de Ross witnessed de Moreville's charter of Gillemoristun with Edulfus filius Utredi c. 1189. A few years later in 1205, Sir Godfrey de Rose, Arthur de Ross and Fergus de Rosse witnessed an agreement between the burgesses of Irvine and Brice of Eglunstone.

"The manor [at Roos, Yorkshire] was from the reign of Henry I. the seat and property of the noble family of Roos, one of whose barons had the glory of leading the second division of the English army at the battle of Cressy. The site is still visible of the castle of the former barons; and in part of the old moat have been lately found a misericorde dagger and some amber beads. The place confers the original title on the present family of De Ros." ^[1]

Early History of the Roos family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roos research. Another 169 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1363, 1372, 1390, 1372, 1370, 1414, 1394, 1413, 1396, 1403, 1404, 1403, 1413, 1455, 1508 and are included under the topic Early Roos History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roos Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Ros, Roose, Ross, Ruse and others.

Early Notables of the Roos family (pre 1700)

Notable amongst bearers of this family name during their early history was The 5th Earl of Ross, William, who died in 1372; and William de Ros, 6th Baron de Ros of Helmsley, (c.1370-1414), Lord Treasurer of England, already a Knight and inherited the rank and privileges of his deceased brother, first summoned to the Parliament of England on November 20 1394, He would regularly attend sessions till 1413, first assignment from Richard II of England was to join Walter Skirlaw, Bishop of Durham, Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland and others in negotiating for a peace treaty with Robert III of...
Another 188 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Roos Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Roos family to Ireland

Some of the Roos family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roos migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Roos name or one of its variants:

Roos Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Cornelia Roos, aged 4, who arrived in New York in 1659 ^[2]

Roos Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Kristoffel Roos, who landed in New York in 1709 ^[2]
Andreas Roos, who landed in New York, NY in 1710-1714 ^[2]
Gerret Roos, who landed in New York in 1715 ^[2]
Francis Roos, who arrived in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania in 1741 ^[2]
Caspar Roos, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 ^[2]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roos Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Simon Roos, who arrived in New York in 1835 ^[2]
Margareta Katharina Roos, who arrived in Brazil in 1845 ^[2]
Jacob Roos, who arrived in Texas in 1846 ^[2]
Fredrick Roos, aged 24, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 ^[2]
Charles Roos, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 ^[2]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roos migration to Australia +

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

Roos Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Elizabeth Roos, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Ramillies" in 1849 ^[3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Roos (post 1700) +

Michael Y. Roos, American Democrat politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1988 ^[4]
Lawrence K. Roos, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1956, 1972 ^[4]
John V. Roos, American Democrat politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2008 ^[4]
Frederick B. Roos, American Republican politician, Member of Illinois State Senate 7th District; Elected 1922 ^[4]
Elbert S. Roos, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1892 ^[4]
Caroline Kreisel Roos, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 2008 ^[4]
Bertil Roos (1943-2016), Swedish racing driver from Gothenburg
Major-General Harald Vilhelm Roos (1895-1969), Finnish Chief of Supply & Transport at General Headquarters (1941-1944) ^[5]

The Roos 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: Spem successus alit
Motto Translation: Success nourishes hope

Citations +

^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
^ 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)
^ State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAMILIES 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Ramillies.htm
^ The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
^ Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 5) Harald Roos. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Roos/Harald_Vilhelm/Finland.html