Surname Röttchen - Meaning and Origin

Röttchen: What does the surname Röttchen mean?

The last name Röttchen is a German surname which is derived from the Middle High German word Rut, meaning “red”. This suggests that the surname is a descriptive one, likely applied to somebody with red hair or a ruddy complexion. Alternatively, it could be derived from the dialect word for fox.

Röttchen is a relatively uncommon surname in Germany, with most bearers being found in the Lower Saxony area of the country. As Germany was a divided nation for much of the 20th century, this homogeneity of use across the country suggests the name is of relatively old origin.

In the United States, the surname is scarce but there are bearers in every state, though the majority of American bearers of the name are concentrated in the midwestern and northeastern regions. This suggests that the name is likely of German origin, and that many bearers may descend from emigrants from Germany.

In summary, the German surname Röttchen is derived from the words for “red” and possibly “fox”, and is concentrated in the country's Lower Saxony region. The name has also spread to the United States, though due to its relative scarcity of use, it is presumed to be of German origin.

Röttchen: Where does the name Röttchen come from?

The last name Röttchen is found mainly in Germany today. The origins of the name lie in the Rheinland Palatinate region where it is often found with variants such as Roettchen, Raettchen, and Rothen. The earliest records of the name date back to the early 1700s and suggest that the name originated in the Palatinate area. In the 19th Century, the name Röttchen was spread to other parts of Germany, as well as Austria and Switzerland.

Today, Röttchen is common in the western states of Germany, particularly the regions of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, and Lower Saxony. It is also found in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in the south of Germany.

The name Röttchen is known to be of Germanic origin but the exact meaning remains unclear. Röttchen may have been derived from the name Roeder, which can be translated to “red one” and could refer to a person with red hair. Other theories suggest that Röttchen is derived from rot (red) and hahn (rooster), describing a person with a red bristling crest.

Regardless of the origin, Röttchen is still a prominent last name in Germany today and can be found in many of its western states.

Variations of the surname Röttchen

The surname Röttchen is a variant of the German surname Rothen, which is of locational origin, derived from a place name, either Rothenberg in Prussia, or Rothenbenden near Osnabruck. It has also been known to occur as Rothan, Rothenbenden, Rottenden, Rothin, Roetchen, Roden, or Roetenbenden.

The variants of the surname Rothen are largely the same as those of Röttchen, although the spelling may differ due to transcription errors or the regional preferences of the speaker. Variants of Rothen include: Roeth, Rothenberger, Rotan, Rothe, Rooten, Rader, Rodemacher, Rotenbusch, Rotenberg, Rotenthal, Rotheighty, Rodenbeck, Rodenbaugh, Rothemus, Roe, and Root.

Röttchen is also related to surnames with other spellings stemming from a common root, such as Roth, Rothäuser, Rothausen, Rothschädl, Rogers, Roggen, Rothenberg, Rotheuser, Rothfuss, Rothovius, Rothebusch, Rothenbusch, Rothenberger, Rothenburg, Rotheimer, and Roder.

In Scandinavia, Röttchen is related to the surname Rothen, but is spelled differently, as: Röd, Rodd, Rotten, Rothenu, Rohde, and Roed.

Finally, variants of Röttchen can include Rötgen, Röttger, Röttgers, Rötten, and Röttgering.

Famous people with the name Röttchen

• Christian Röttchen: a German former professional footballer
• Stephan Röttchen: a German actor
• Steffen Röttchen: a professional footballer in the German second-tier 2. Bundesliga
• Olaf Röttchen: a German former figure skater
• Gabriel Röttchen: a German professional football club player for SV Darmstadt 1898
• Gisela Röttchen: a German district court judge in the State of Thuringia
• Egon Röttchen: a German amateur boxer and football player
• Tobias Röttchen: a German music professor and musical conductor
• Niklas Röttchen: a German professional footballer
• Max Röttchen: a former German professional footballer

Other surnames

Röttcher