Surname Rohleff - Meaning and Origin

Rohleff: What does the surname Rohleff mean?

The last name Rohleff is an occupational name derived from the German word "röhren," which means "to cultivate, to grow," or "to shape." This suggests that the initial bearer of the name would have been involved in either farming or as a craftsman.

An early documented form of the name is Röleff, which is also found in the records in the late sixteenth century in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The spelling of the name appears to have undergone a gradual decline in the subsequent centuries, evolving into a more simplified form of Rohleff.

The Rohleffs have a rather small distribution throughout the world. The majority of them are found in the Bremervörde district of Lower Saxony, with the second-largest group located in the city of Hamburg. There are also smaller but sizable populations in the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Rohleffs have been given numerous awards for their accomplishments. One example is Ulrich Rohleff, who won the Iron Cross in World War I—arguably the highest military tribute in the German Empire—for his bravery and courage.

In many ways, the Rohleffs embody the German spirit: hard-working, loyal and courageous. To this day, they carry forward the legacy of the Rohleffs who have gone before them.

Rohleff: Where does the name Rohleff come from?

The last name Rohleff is largely concentrated around certain parts of Germany. It is most common in North-Rhine Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein. In North-Rhine Westphalia it is particularly common around the cities of Dortmund, Osnabrück and Bielefeld. Across Germany, however, there are a significant number of people with the last name Rohleff living in all of the country's sixteen States.

The name is also heavily represented in other European countries, notably Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and France. In the United States, Rohleff is found in a majority of the states in varying numbers, with its greatest concentrations in California, New York and Pennsylvania. Many families with the last name Rohleff can trace their ancestry back to Germany, although others may have originated in other countries.

Tracing the origin of the last name further, the original sources from which families with the last name Rohleff originated are from the Latin words 'rofe' meaning oak tree and 'lēof' meaning beloved. This implies that Rohleff was originally used to denote someone or a family who resided at or near an oak tree that they held dear.

Despite its root origin and current distribution, Rohleff remains a relatively rare last name. It was ranked as the 15,564th most common family name in Pennsylvania in the US and the 386,543rd most common name in Germany.

Variations of the surname Rohleff

The surname Rohleff is a patronymic surname, meaning it is derived from the forename of a father or relative. Some variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin include the following:

Rohleffs

Rohlfs

Rohlf

Rolf

Rolfe

Rolph

Rolfsen

Rolfson

Rohlfsen

Rohlfson

Rolff

Rolffs

Rolffson

Rolffsen

Roloff

Roloffe

Roloffson

Roloffsen

Roluff

Roluffs

Roluffson

Roluffsen

Roelofs

Roelofsen

The surname is of German origin, and is often associated with people of German descent in Northern Europe and North America. The geographic distribution of individuals with the surname Roehleff is found largely in Germany, with some notable concentrations in the Netherlands, and in the United States. The German spelling, Rahlf, is also variants of the surname Roehleff.

Rohleff is a common surname, but not overly common, making it relatively easy to trace family origins. People with this surname are believed to be descendants of ancient Germanic tribes, such as the Frankish, Burgundian, and Saxon tribes. Going back further, it is possible to trace the Rohleff family to the ancient Pagan tribes that settled in Central Europe long before Christianity.

The prevalence of the surname Rohleff is a testament to the longevity of the family history and provides insight into the history of the region it comes from. The common variants of Rohleff, such as Rolff, Rolfsen, or Rolfson, all point to the same origins and are likely variations of the original names derived from the Germanic language.

Famous people with the name Rohleff

• Ernie Rohleff- Former basketball player and member of the Elgin Community College men's Hall of Fame.
• Jürgen Rohleff- Former German football player.
• Reinhard Rohleff- Country Music Hall of Fame musician.
• Alexa Rohleff- Professional surfer, conservationist, and freelance photojournalist.
• Kenneth Rohleff- Former Major League Baseball player.
• Siegfried Rohlfs- German paediatrician.
• Bernd Rohleff- German political scientist and journalist.
• Karl Rohleff- German offspring of the Silesian counts of Schönaich family.
• Mike Rohleff- Singer-songwriter and musician from Jamaica.
• Ferdinand Rohleff- German Lutheran theologian, professor of theology and director of the Lutheran seminary in New York.

Other surnames

RöhleRöhleckeRohlederRohledererRöhlen