Surname Roosevelt - Meaning and Origin
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Roosevelt: What does the surname Roosevelt mean?
The last name Roosevelt is an anglicized version of the Germanic surname "von Rosenfeld", which roughly translates to 'of the field of roses'.
The Roosevelt family has been linked to the ruling class of Holland since at least the twelfth century. One of the earliest members of the family, Willem de Roose, rose to prominence as a member of the court of Emperor Charlemagne in the tenth century. As members of the noble class, the Roosevelts held considerable power and influence both in politics and trade.
In the fourteenth century, the family settled in the town of Oudewater and many of their descendents took up positions of power in the Dutch government. With the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1776, Jan Janszoon Roosevelt, a Dutch officer in the forces of King George III, left his post in the Netherlands to join the American army.
The family has been associated with politics ever since, and is most commonly recognised through its best-known members, Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt. These two Roosevelts were American presidents who had a large impact on the nation's history. Theodore was a key figure in the Progressive Movement around the turn of the twentieth century, and Franklin, in addition to his wartime leadership and domestic reforms, played a major role in the creation of the United Nations.
Today, the name Roosevelt is a well-known and recognised one in the United States, with many descendants bearing the family name. Its origin in a field of roses carries a symbolic weight that is not typically associated with surnames, and that is what makes the Roosevelts stand out to this day.
Order DNA origin analysisRoosevelt: Where does the name Roosevelt come from?
The last name Roosevelt is common in many countries around the world. In the United States, the name is found in every state, albeit with different levels of concentration. It is most notably popular in states such as New York, California, Florida, and New Jersey, where a combined total of more than 10,000 people bear the surname Roosevelt.
In Europe, the name Roosevelt can be found throughout the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. It also appears among the populations of Italy, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
Outside the western hemisphere, the name can be found in South Africa, India, and the Philippines. In many of these countries, the surname has become a popular choice for immigrants from the United States.
The name Roosevelt has also been popularized by some famous public figures, such as U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his fifth cousin, Theodore Roosevelt, who served as the 26th president of the United States as well. With such a strong legacy, the name Roosevelt continues to live on in both the United States and other countries around the world.
Variations of the surname Roosevelt
The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Roosevelt include Rosevelt (or Roseveld), Rooseveldt, Rosvelt, Rosveldt and more.
The early Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam in the 1600s adopted the surname from the Dutch word "ros", meaning "red" or "rose" and "veldt", meaning "fields". The translation of the surname literally means "field of roses" which is likely linked to the rose fields in Holland and it was likely that each family adopted the surname to describe the area they'd resided in for generations.
The alternates and variants of Roosevelt arose from regional and linguistical differences in pronunciation of the original Dutch name. The Roosevelts had many family members who made their way throughout the United States. It is likely that due to the settling of new locations, the spelling and pronunciation of the family name became altered and changed over time. As a consequence, now in the 21st century, the Roosevelt name has been adapted to many spellings and pronunciation varieties.
In America, the "Roos(e)velt" spelling became the standard, marking the family line descended from the original Dutch settlers to America. The variants of the surname include Rooseveldt, Rosvelt, Rousvelt, Rossvelt, Rouwsvelt, Roosewelt, Rosveldt, and Roswelt.
The name has also become a common surname in other parts of the world, including South Africa, Mexico, Peru, and countries in South East Asia. In each of these countries, the surname is written and pronounced differently, but carries the same origin.
In conclusion, the Roosevelt surname has evolved to a variety of spellings and surnames over the centuries due to immigration into different countries and linguistical differences.
Famous people with the name Roosevelt
- Theodore Roosevelt: 26th President of the United States from 1901-1909 and leader of the Progressive Movement
- Franklin D. Roosevelt: 32nd President of the United States from 1933-1945 and regarded as one of the key figures in the 20th Century
- Eleanor Roosevelt: an American politician, diplomat, and activist who was First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945
- Elliott Roosevelt: son of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and an aviation pioneer
- Kermit Roosevelt: son of President Theodore Roosevelt and the longest serving manager of the Central Intelligence Agency
- Archibald Roosevelt: youngest son of US President Theodore Roosevelt
- Quentin Roosevelt: son of US President Theodore Roosevelt
- Alice Roosevelt: eldest daughter of US President Theodore Roosevelt and famous for her strong personality
- Cornelius Roosevelt: younger brother of US President Theodore Roosevelt
- James Roosevelt: eldest son of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt