ROWLEY
The surname Rowley is of English origin and is a classic example of a locational surname derived from several place-names within the British Isles. Each of the settlements called Rowley—found in Devon, County Durham, Staffordshire and both East and West Yorkshire—held a similar meaning rooted in Old English.
It derives from the Old English personal names Hrothwulf or Hrothweald, where hroth means “fame” or “renown” and the suffix wulf or weald denotes a wolf or a ruler respectively. These personal names were combined with leah, an Old English term for a woodland clearing. Consequently, the surname may originally have signified a descendant of a person named Hrothwulf or Hrothweald, or someone who resided near a notable clearing.
A second line of derivation ties the name to the Old English word ruh, meaning “rough” or “rugged”. In this construction leah again denotes a thin wood, glade or clearing, so that the surname in this context refers to a person living by a rough or overgrown clearing.
The earliest documentary evidence for the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where the Devon settlement is recorded as “Rodeleia”. In 1229 the Durham place is recorded as “Ruley”, while in the 1173 Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire it appears as “Roelea”. The Yorkshire settlements of East and West Yorkshire are both listed as “Ruley” in 1227 and 1246 respectively. All of these records confirm that the places shared a common origin: “the rough wood or clearing”.
Personal records indicate that the surname took a more standardised form during the mid‑thirteenth century. The first witnessed spelling is that of William de Ruelay, dated 1219 in the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire under the reign of Henry the Eleventh. In 1252 a merchant named William de Roulowe is listed in the Rolls of the Guild of Shropshire merchants. Subsequent early documented individuals include Geoffrey de Roweleye (1280, Worcestershire) and John Rowley (1348, Nottinghamshire).
A record of a marriage is preserved for Thomas Rowley and Agneta Watson, whose union was documented in Edmondton, London, on 23 July 1559. This entry provides a glimpse of the surname’s continued use in civil affairs within the capital during the Tudor period.
Heraldic evidence is available in the form of an early grant of arms for a Rowley family. The description reads: on an ermine shield, a gold fret, on a red chief, three gold trefoils. This coat of arms is recorded in the period following the aforementioned medieval legal documents and represents the heraldic identity associated with certain bearers of the name.
Collectively, the historical evidence for the Rowley surname links it firmly to places characterised by rough woodlands or clearings in the English countryside, while also showing that it served as a patronymic identifier for individuals bearing the Old English names Hrothwulf or Hrothweald. The surviving documentary and heraldic records attest to a continuous and well‑documented presence of the name within England from the eleventh to the sixteenth centuries.
Typical given names associated with the Rowley surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Stephen
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jane
- Joanne
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Roley
- Rolley
- Rollie
- Role
- Rolli
- Roles
- Roly
- Rolly
- Rowely
- Rowle
- Railey
- Railley
- Railly
- Raily
- Raley
- Ralley
- Rally
- Raly
- Rawley
- Rayley
- Realey
- Really
- Realoy
- Realy
- Reeley
- Reelly
- Reely
- Reiley
- Reilley
- Reilly
- Reily
- Relay
- Reley
- Relley
- Relly
- Rely
- Relyea
- Rewley
- Reyley
- Reyly
- Rialey
- Rialy
- Rieley
- Rielley
- Rielly
- Riely
- Rilay
- Riley
- Rillay
- Rilley
- Rilly
- Rily
- Rioley
- Roiley
- Roole
- Rooley
- Rouley
- Roulley
- Rouly
- Rowl
- Rowlay
- Rowlee
- Rowlidge
- Rowlie
- Rowlis
- Rowls
- Rowly
- Royley
- Ruley
- Rulley
- Rully
- Ruly
- Ryley
- Ryly
- Wriley
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Rowley in...
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Rowley are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Chocolate Hobnob.
There are approximately 16,804 people named Rowley in the UK. That makes it the 529th most common surname in Britain. Around 258 in a million people in Britain are named Rowley.
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 Rowley
- Lee Rowley - Politician
- Geoff Rowley - Skateboarder
- Danielle Rowley - Scottish politician
- Arthur Rowley - Football player and manager (1926 to 2002)
- Jack Rowley - Football player and manager (1918 to 1998)
- Samantha Rowley - Model
- Alex Rowley - Politician
- Alec Rowley - Composer (1892 to 1958)
- John Rowley - South African cricketer and colonial governor (1907 to 1996)
- Walter Rowley - Football player (1891 to 1976)
- Paul Rowley - Rugby league football player and coach
- Joe Rowley - Football player
- Arthur Rowley - Football player (1933 to 2014)
- Hugh Rowley - Rugby union player
- Herbert Rowley - Flying ace (1897 to 1966)
- George Rowley - Cricketer (1896 to 1953)
- Paul Rowley - Darts player
- Joshua Rowley - Naval officer and fourth son of Admiral Sir William Rowley (1734 to 1790)
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.