ROOT
Root is an English surname that can be traced back to the early medieval period in the British Isles, specifically England. The name is derived from the Old English word rot, which means “root.” It is a toponymic or metonymic surname that may have originally described a person living near the root of a tree or plant, a monk or herbalist dealing with roots, or an individual who played a medieval stringed instrument known as a rote.
The surname appears in several orthographic forms, including Root, Roote, Rutt, Rootes and Roots. The earliest documented spelling is that of Aethelstan Rota, dated to 955 in the Old English Records during the reign of King Ethelred the Unready (978–1016). Other early attestations include (1524) James Rutt of Suffolk in the Hearth Tax rolls, and (1608) Walter Rote recorded in the register of the Knight Templars for the county of Lincolnshire.
In the early twelfth century, a bearer of the name, Walter Rote, appears in the Templar register of 1185. The surname continued to be used and recorded throughout the early modern period, as exemplified by Edward Root, christened 18 March 1621 at All Hallows’s church on London Wall, and John Root, an early settler in the Virginia colony, listed in the 1624 muster of Hog Island.
There are two principal etymological interpretations of the name. First, it may have functioned as a byname for a cheerful person, derived from a pre‑7th‑century Old English word rot meaning “glad.” Second, it may have been a metonymic occupational name for a musician who played the rote, a medieval stringed instrument cognate with the Welsh crwth. In ancient times, surnames only became heritable when a son followed his father into the same occupation.
The continued use of the name Root in England and its subsequent dispersion to colonies such as Virginia, New England and beyond attest to its longevity. Each variant of the spelling reflects the orthographic practices of its era, yet all share the same foundational meaning tied to the natural element of a root or the cultural heritage of medieval music.
Typical given names associated with the Root surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- Graham
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Philip
- Stephen
- Steven
Female
- Alison
- Gillian
- Helen
- Jane
- Janet
- Jean
- Joan
- Julie
- Linda
- Rachel
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Roots
- Roote
- Rutt
- Rootes
- Rooth
- Roets
- Rought
- Roo
- Rood
- Roodt
- Roet
- Roett
- Roothe
- Rewt
- Reut
- Roto
- Raad
- Raade
- Raat
- Rad
- Rada
- Radai
- Radau
- Radd
- Radda
- Radde
- Raddi
- Raddie
- Rade
- Radi
- Radia
- Radie
- Radio
- Rado
- Radoi
- Radu
- Radue
- Raed
- Raid
- Raida
- Raidi
- Raido
- Rait
- Raita
- Raiti
- Raitt
- Raot
- Rat
- Rata
- Rate
- Rateau
- Rati
- Ratia
- Ratiu
- Rato
- Ratt
- Ratta
- Ratte
- Rattee
- Ratti
- Rattie
- Ratto
- Rattu
- Rattue
- Ratu
- Raud
- Rauda
- Raut
- Rauta
- Rautio
- Rautu
- Rayt
- Raytt
- Read
- Readdie
- Reade
- Readie
- Reado
- Reaid
- Reat
- Reatt
- Reaud
- Red
- Reda
- Redd
- Redda
- Reddi
- Reddie
- Rede
- Redei
- Redi
- Redie
- Redo
- Reead
- Reed
- Reede
- Reedie
- Reeid
- Reet
- Reeta
- Reiad
- Reid
- Reide
- Reidie
- Reit
- Reittie
- Reod
- Ret
- Reta
- Rete
- Reti
- Rett
- Retta
- Rettie
- Reud
- Reutt
- Rewd
- Reyte
- Riad
- Riadi
- Riat
- Riatt
- Rid
- Rida
- Ridd
- Ridde
- Riddie
- Ride
- Rideau
- Rido
- Ridu
- Ried
- Riede
- Riedi
- Riedo
- Riet
- Rietti
- Rioda
- Riot
- Riotto
- Rit
- Rita
- Rite
- Riti
- Rito
- Ritt
- Ritta
- Ritte
- Rittie
- Ritto
- Road
- Roade
- Roadie
- Roat
- Roata
- Roate
- Rod
- Roda
- Rodd
- Rodda
- Rodde
- Roddie
- Rode
- Rodea
- Rodi
- Rodia
- Rodie
- Rodio
- Rodo
- Roed
- Roede
- Rohda
- Rohde
- Roitt
- Roode
- Roodie
- Rot
- Rota
- Rote
- Roti
- Rotie
- Rott
- Rotta
- Rotti
- Rotto
- Rouat
- Roud
- Roude
- Roudeau
- Rouet
- Rout
- Route
- Routh
- Routs
- Routt
- Rowth
- Royd
- Royde
- Rud
- Ruda
- Rudd
- Rudda
- Rudde
- Ruddie
- Rude
- Rudi
- Rudie
- Rudo
- Rudoe
- Rudue
- Rueda
- Ruedi
- Ruet
- Ruete
- Ruette
- Ruid
- Ruitt
- Ruot
- Rut
- Ruta
- Rute
- Ruto
- Rutta
- Rutte
- Rutti
- Ruud
- Ryd
- Ryda
- Rydd
- Ryde
- Ryte
- Whrite
- Whyrtte
- Wrait
- Wrate
- Wratt
- Wrd
- Wrede
- Wride
- Wriedt
- Write
- Writt
- Wroat
- Wroot
- Wrout
- Wrutt
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Root in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 1,748 people named Root in the UK. That makes it roughly the 4,702nd most common surname in Britain. Around 27 in a million people in Britain are named Root.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Root
- Joe Root - Cricketer
- Stephen Root - American actor and voice actor
- Rebecca Root - Comedian and actor
- Billy Root - Cricketer
- Jane Root - BBC executive
- Alan Root - Documentary film maker (1937 to 2017)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.