Rot History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Israel

The German state of Bavaria is the ancestral home of the Rot family. Nickname surnames, such as Rot, were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The family name Rot is a name for a person associated with the color red. The name comes from the Old German word "rot," meaning "red," and could have indicated that its bearer had red hair or a red beard, lived in a red house, or often dressed in red clothes.

Early Origins of the Rot family

The surname Rot was first found in Bavaria, where the name could be considered to have made a great contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone of modern Europe. The name became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the tribal and national conflicts, with each group seeking power and status in an ever changing territorial profile. Chronicles first mention the brothers Jeckel and Tilke Rote of Breslau in 1350, and Merklin der Rotter of Esslingen in 1307. Literally the name meant "red-haired" or "red-bearded," thus the oldest variation was possibly "Rothbart."

Early History of the Rot family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rot research. Another 274 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1245, 1288, 1300, 1360, 1434, 1552, 1620, 1653, 1668, 1700 and 1704 are included under the topic Early Rot History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rot Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Rot include Rothe, Rote, Rot, Roth (southern Germany), Roter, Rother (Silesia), Rothe, Rothbart and many more.

Early Notables of the Rot family

Prominent among members of the name Rot in this period include

Johannes Rothe (1360-1434), a Thuringian priest who wrote instructional works on chivalry and heraldry and a history of Thuringia
Heinrich Roth (1620-1668), also known as Henricus Rodius or Henrique Roa, a missionary and pioneering Sanskrit scholar

Rot migration to the United States +

Thousands of German settlers came to North America between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries. The hardships of the long voyage were balanced by the opportunity to escape poverty and religious persecution. The descendents of these settlers still populate the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also live in Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Rot or a variant listed above:

Rot Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Peter Rot, who landed in New York in 1709 1
Philyppus Rot, who arrived in New York in 1709 1
Hans Rot, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 1
Daniel Rot, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1761 1

Rot Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jacob Rot, aged 49, who arrived in Missouri in 1841 1

Citations +

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)