Roux
A French surname meaning “red” or “red-haired,” originally a nickname for someone with reddish hair or complexion.
The #9,594 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 91,156 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Roux comes from Old French rous/roux, meaning “red” or “red-haired,” ultimately from Latin russus, “red.” It began as a descriptive nickname for a person with red hair, a ruddy complexion, or sometimes a reddish beard. The same root also lies behind related forms such as Rouse and Rousset.
History
The name is strongly associated with French and Norman usage and appears widely in medieval records. In English sources, it often shows up in forms like Le Roux or as an imported French surname. It also spread into other regions through migration from France and francophone areas such as Belgium.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The root behind Roux is the same color word that produced many related surnames across French and English records, all pointing back to a red-haired ancestor.
From the historical record
“ROUS I (A.-Fr.-Lat.) Red, Red - Haired ROUSE I [M.E. A.-Fr. rous{e, O.Fr. rous (Fr. roux -sse, Prov. ros), Lat. russ-us, red] , Jordan le Rous. — Cal Ing. P.M. Juliana la Rouse. — Hund. Rolls. In Malory we find the name with pre- fixed 'de la' —”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)