Rowlett
A surname that likely began as a pet form of Rowland or Roland, and in some cases was also linked to the French name Roulet.
The #9,440 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 89,595 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Historical surname dictionaries generally treat Rowlett as a diminutive form of Rowland, itself from the old Germanic name Roland. The ending -ett/-et marks a small or affectionate form, so the name can be read as “little Rowland” or “son of Rowland” in later surname use. Some writers also connected it with French Roulet/Roulet(t), so a French influence is possible in certain families.
History
The name is recorded in English sources by the late medieval and early modern period, and it appears in London records as well as in families noted by 19th-century genealogists. Some antiquarian writers also associated it with a Kentish place-name, but the stronger and more common explanation is that it comes from the personal name Rowland. Variant spellings such as Rowlatt and Rowlet show how the name shifted with spelling habits over time.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One historical bearer was Matthew Rowlett, who served as Master of the Mint under Henry VIII.
From the historical record
“London, 28, 11, 2; Philadelphia, 86, i, o. Rowlatt, Rowlett.— Bapt. * the son of Ralph/ from the Fr. Raoul, dim. Raoulin (whence our Rawlin and RowHng) and second dim. Raoulet, whence Rowlett and Row- latt ; cf. Emmett from Emm (^Emma)”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)