Roundtree
An English surname that likely began as a spelling variant of Rowntree/Rowantree, probably referring to a rowan tree.
The #5,405 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 47,949 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is best understood as a spelling variant of Rowntree or Rowantree. The first element is likely the rowan tree, also called mountain ash, with the surname originally referring to someone who lived by or near such a tree. The spelling with -ound- appears to be a later phonetic or scribal reshaping rather than a separate root.
History
The historical citations suggest that Roundtree appears alongside Rowntree and Rowantree in English records, especially in London and Yorkshire. Bardsley explicitly treats Roundtree as an alternate form of Rowantree, though he notes that a second derivation is possible. The name remains relatively uncommon in modern usage, with a small but established presence in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Nineteenth-century surname collectors noted Roundtree as one of several lively spelling variants of Rowntree in parish and directory records.
From the historical record
“for HoUingrake, Grindrod for Greenroyd, Standfield for StanReld, Standrii^ for Stannering. Even Somendour for Sumner existed. Rowantree is found also as Roundtree to-day, and in my London Directory occur three Towndrows for Townrow. Take two examples: 1603. Buried— SUSAND Cardwelle, St. Jas. Clerkenwell, iv. 74.…”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances