Show ContentsRoxborough History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Roxborough family

The surname Roxborough was first found in Roxburghshire, Scotland where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say, the 11th century. One of the first on record was Adam of Roxburgh in 1153, who must have been close to the royal court in that he witnessed a charter by King David to Cambuskenneth Abbey. Similarly, Richard Roxburgh witnessed grants made by Richard, Bishop of St. Andrews from 1163 onward. [1] Roxby is a parish in Lincolnshire and a chapelry in Yorkshire. The Yorkshire family originally spelt their name Rooksby and sometimes as Rokeby. [2]

Early History of the Roxborough family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roxborough research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1199, 1299 and 1332 are included under the topic Early Roxborough History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roxborough Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Roxburgh, Roxborough, Rocksburgh, Rocksborough, Roxborow, Roxborows, Roxboroes, Roxbrow, Roxburg, Rocksburg, Roxburch, Rokesburg, Rokesburgh, Rokesby and many more.

Early Notables of the Roxborough family

More information is included under the topic Early Roxborough Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Roxborough migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Roxborough Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • J. B. Roxborough arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850
  • John Roxborough, who landed in Mobile County, Ala in 1855 [3]

HMS Royal Oak
  • Thomas Roxborough (1905-1939), British Petty Officer Stoker with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking [4]


The Roxborough 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: Tam audax quam fidelis
Motto Translation: I am as faithful as I am strong


  1. 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)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. 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)
  4. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html


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