Roe
A surname that usually began as a nickname from the roe deer, sometimes also linked to a red-haired or ruddy complexion.
The #1,406 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,210 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In English and Scottish use, Roe is most often explained as a nickname from the animal roe deer, from Middle English ro(e), ultimately from Old English and Old Norse words for the deer. Early records show it used as a sign-name or byname, and some bearers may have been called Roe for being quick or agile, by comparison with the animal. A separate Irish and Gaelic explanation also occurs in older surname books, deriving it from ruadh, meaning “red,” for someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
History
The name appears in medieval English records and was treated by 19th-century surname writers as a common nickname surname. In England it can also overlap with spellings such as Ray, Rae, and Rowe, and older authors noted possible confusion with those names. In Ireland and Scotland, some families may independently derive the surname from the Gaelic descriptive word for “red.”
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older legal and literary usage, Roe belongs to the same “animal surnames” family as Doe, Buck, and Roe-buck.
From the historical record
“Alan de 'Roiev/eW.—Hund. Rolls. ROE (Eng. and Scand.) a nickname and sign- name from the animal [M.E. ro(e, O.E. O.N. rd, a roe] John le 'Ro.—Hund. Rolls. John de la 'Koe..—Excheq. Iss. Cp. Ray, Rae, Raw(e; and there has prob. been confusion with Row(e, q.v. (Celt.) Of Red Complexion or Hair [Ir. and Gael, ruadh…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)