Rowe Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Rowe last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Rowe last name
Meaning of the Rowe last name: dweller by a hedgerow, or from Rolf. Rowe can mean a family lived beside a hedgerow or in a row of cottages. In other families it grew from Row, a medieval pet form of names such as Rolf and Roger. It is especially a Cornish and Devon name, among the most typical names there. A curious detail: Cornish miners carried the name to copper mines in Australia, South Africa and Michigan.
Arms associated with the Rowe name
Animals on English shields were chosen for the qualities they stood for, such as the lion for courage, a tradition seen in arms used by Rowe families.
Get your full Rowe family history
This is only a glimpse of the Rowe story. The full Rowe history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Rowe coat of arms. Get the full Rowe report.
Rowe name FAQ
What does the Rowe name mean?
Dweller by a hedgerow, or from Rolf. Common variants include Row, Roe, Rowse.
Where does the Rowe surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and Ireland.
Is there a Rowe coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Rowe coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.