Roth (surname) explained

Roth
Meaning:"red", or "wood", or "renown"
Origin:Britain, Germany, Ashkenazi Jews
Variant:Reitman, Roiter, Roitman, Rojter, Roter, Rothchilds, Rothe, Rotheman, Rother, Rothert, Rothman, Rothmann, Rothbaum, Rothnie, Rothbauer, Rothchild, Rothschild, Rothwell, Rott, Rottman, Rothin, Rothfuss/fuß

Roth is an English, German, or Jewish origin surname. There are seven theories on its origin:

  1. The spilling of blood from the warrior class of ancient Germanic soldiers;
  2. Ethnic name for an Anglo-Saxon, derived from rot (meaning "red" before the 7th century), referencing red-haired people;
  3. Topographical name, derived from rod (meaning "wood"), meaning a dweller in such a location;
  4. Derivative from hroth (from the Proto-Germanic word for "fame"; related to hrod);
  5. Local name for 18th-century Ashkenazi refugees to Germany;
  6. Derivative from roe in the ancient Danish language to signify (of) a king;
  7. Of the red colour of clay, as in pottery (German).

Note: Roth is not originally a Hebrew surname. Its origins are in northern Europe, and it is a common name in Scotland and other English-speaking countries as well as in German-speaking countries. For historic reasons, the Jewish people adopted various established names, many of which were common amongst non-Jewish people in their respective countries.

The first English-language historic record of the surname 'Roth' appeared in the United Kingdom in Colchester and Essex public records in 1346.[1]

People with the surname Roth

People with the surname Roth include:

A–F

G–L

M–W

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Surname: Roth . surnamedb.com . 26 February 2008.