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Irish surname

Roe: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ruadh (also Mac Ruaidh, Ó Ruaidh, Mac Conrubha) · 'red, red-haired' (Irish 'ruadh'); Woulfe calls it an epithet which took the place of the real surname

Woulfe (1923) gives Roe and Rowe under Ruadh, 'red, red-haired', an epithet which took the place of the real surname, and notes that Roe is often merely the final syllable of surnames such as MacEnroe. He also lists Roe under Mac Ruaidh ('son of Ruadh'), Ó Ruaidh (on the confines of Cork and Waterford) and Mac Conrubha (a Breifney surname). Matheson counts 21 Roe birth entries in Ireland in 1890.

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Coat of arms associated with the Roe surname
Irish formRuadh (also Mac Ruaidh, Ó Ruaidh, Mac Conrubha)
Meaning'red, red-haired' (Irish 'ruadh'); Woulfe calls it an epithet which took the place of the real surname
CountiesCork
Other spellings3
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Roe crest gifts

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Origin of the Roe name

Woulfe, under Ruadh: 'Irish ruadh, i.e., red, red-haired; an epithet which took the place of the real surname. Roe is often merely the final syllable of such surnames as MacEnroe, &c. Rowe is also an English surname.'[1]

  1. 189021 Roe birth entries in Ireland (Leinster 14, Munster 4, Ulster 3).[5]

Where in Ireland

Co. CorkWoulfe: Ó Ruaidh is an old surname on the confines of Cork and Waterford (in Waterford now anglicised Ormond).[3]

Other spellings

Rowe · Roy · MacEnroe[1][2][3][6]

The Roe coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Roe surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Roe surname: questions

What does the surname Roe mean?

Woulfe gives Irish 'ruadh' as 'red, red-haired', an epithet which took the place of the real surname.[1]

Is Roe an Irish surname?

Woulfe lists Roe under four Irish names: Ruadh, Mac Ruaidh ('son of Ruadh'), Ó Ruaidh (old surname on the confines of Cork and Waterford) and Mac Conrubha (a Breifney surname). He adds that Rowe is also an English surname.[1][2][3][4]

Is Roe the same as Rowe?

Woulfe prints Rowe and Roe together under each of these entries, and Matheson's 1901 list gives Roe: M'Enroe, Rowe.[1][2][3][4][6]

What is the connection between Roe and MacEnroe?

Woulfe says Roe is often merely the final syllable of surnames such as MacEnroe, and gives Mac Conrubha as 'son of Cú Rubha' (hound of Rubha, or Rowe, a place-name), a Breifney surname.[1][4]

Sources

  1. Ruadh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/r/ruadh.php
  2. Mac Ruaidh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macr/mac-ruaidh.php
  3. Ó Ruaidh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/or/o-ruaidh.php
  4. Mac Conrubha — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macc/mac-conrubha.php
  5. Roe — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/roe.php
  6. Roe (list 1805) — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/1805.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).