Surname Rothoeft - Meaning and Origin
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Rothoeft: What does the surname Rothoeft mean?
The surname Rothoeft is a German surname that may be derived from the vocabulary words "rote" (red) and "hoft" (yard, courtyard). The name is most commonly found in the region of Bavaria in Germany. This suggests that the surname was once associated with either a red-haired person or a person who lived at a courtyard called “Red-Yard”.
The earliest known record of the surname Rothoeft was found in the late 13th century when a certain "Cena de Rotehuve" (“Cena from Rotehuve”) was mentioned in a document from Hildesheim, Lower Saxony. Before the 19th century it was common for only the first name to be used. This makes it difficult to track the original surname bearer. In later records, the family appears to have branched out into various surnames, including Rothoeft, Rothhoft, Rothhoff and Rothhaupt.
The Rothoeft family worked mainly as fishermen, merchants, tailors and blacksmiths. Records from the early 1800s show that most of the Rothoeft family were based in the region of Lower Franconia in Bavaria. As with many German surnames, members of the Rothoeft family spread out throughout Germany and beyond, eventually becoming an international family. Today, there are many descendants of the original Rothoeft family living in countries all over the world.
Order DNA origin analysisRothoeft: Where does the name Rothoeft come from?
The last name Rothoeft is most common today in Germany, its ancestral homeland. It is generally thought to be of Germanic or Prussian origins, with the first known use being recorded in Brandenburg in 1313.
In modern times, the most common place for Rothoeft is the northern region of Germany, especially in the northwest of the country. Here it is found in the cities of Bremen, Hamburg, and Kiel, and rural areas such as Emsland, Lower Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein. Other areas with higher concentrations of the surname include the Rhineland-Palatinate and Berlin.
Studies have also revealed that the surname is present in other European countries including Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Denmark. Rothoeft is even found in the United States and Canada, and show up in other small numbers in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand.
Generally, the highest frequency of the name is found in Germany, followed by Austria, and Canada. It is thought to derive from the given name of Rodulf, the German and Scandinavian spelling of how old Germanic kings were named.
This surname can also be found in other forms including Radolf, Rathoff, Roth, and RRaddolf. Regardless of the spelling, the name was likely an important one in the past, and continues to remain so today.
Variations of the surname Rothoeft
The surname Rothoeft is originally derived from Germanic words “rod-hof”, meaning “red court”, thus it is most likely linked to a geographical region in Germany. The surname is mainly found in Europe, though it has spread to other countries with German emigration. Variants of this surname include Rothehöft, Rodehöft, Rothehoft, Rodhöft, Rothehoff, Rodhoff, Rothehof, Rodhof, Rothöft and Rohoeft.
A variety of spelling variations are also seen in the same surname, including Roethhöft, Rotholz, Rother, Rhoder, Rotholt, Rode, Reuther, Reuthe, Rothhöfel, Rothfelder, Rothfels, Rothfuss, Rothhaas, Rothhans, Rotheis, Rothholtz, Rothges, Rothstetter, Rothweile and Rotter. This reflects the dialects in which the surname has evolved in different regions, and it may also have been influenced by other spoken languages.
Surnames of similar origin include Rother, Rothenhoefer, Rothfelder, Rothehuser, Rothhaupt, Rothhauser and Rotterman. A few of these could easily be confused with the same surname, so it is important to be aware of their origins to not get confused.
In conclusion, although the surname Rothoeft has a clear origin as an area name from the Germanic language, there are a variety of spelling variations that have arisen from the same original name as well as a few similar surnames. These variations and alternate names can be attributed to different dialects, spoken languages and direct translations.
Famous people with the name Rothoeft
- Stephen Rothenfuss: a German professional footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Club Brugge in the Belgian Pro League.
- Anna Rothoeft: a German historical painter born in 1871.
- Kathryn Rothenheber: an American businesswoman, entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist.
- Franz Rothoeft: a German classical philologist and educationist who wrote numerous books on education.
- William Rothenhoefer: a former professional American football player who played defensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens in 1998.
- Gretel Rothenhofer: a German swimmer who competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.
- Max Rothoeft: a German explorer and ethnologist born in 1865.
- Helmut Rothenheber: a German sculptor and artist born in 1937.
- Daniel Rothenfusser: a former Austrian ski jumper who competed in the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympics.
- Wolfgang Rothenheber: a German painter and graphic artist born in 1958.