Surname Roelfs - Meaning and Origin
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Roelfs: What does the surname Roelfs mean?
The last name Roelfs is a patronymic surname derived from the given name Roelf, a diminutive derived from the Germanic Rudolf. The given name is composed of the elements “hrod”, meaning “fame,” and “wolf,” meaning “wolf.” Thus, the name means “famous wolf” or “renowned wolf”.
The name originated in the Netherlands, where it is common in the Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe provinces. In the United States, the surname is less common and only found in small numbers in states such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa, which have large Dutch immigrant populations.
Not much is known about the origin and history of the Roelfs family, but it has been suggested that they could have been followers of the van der Roelen family, an old Dutch family of noble descent. It is also believed that the family could have originated in Langenboom, a village in the Netherlands.
The modern spelling of the family name is Roelfs, but there are variations such as Roelfs, Roelofs, Roelofsen, and Rulofsen. It can also be found in the spelling variant Roelhaus, which could indicate that the family was a part of a von Roelhaus family in Germany.
Overall, the last name Roelfs has Dutch origins and commemorates a famous wolf. It is not a particularly common name, but those who do bear it are likely part of an old Dutch family with a proud heritage.
Order DNA origin analysisRoelfs: Where does the name Roelfs come from?
The last name Roelfs is a German family name that is most common today in the German states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia. Roelfs is a patronymic surname, which is derived from the first name of a person's father or ancestor. In this case, Roelfs is derived from the given name Rolf.
The Roelfs family is believed to have originated in the area around Oldenburg, Lower Saxony. In the 16th century, this area was a part of the County of Oldenburg, an independent principality. In this time, the first people to bear the name Roelfs must have lived here, and this is still the largest concentration of this surname today.
Moreover, the surname Roelfs is common in the towns and villages along the German-Danish border, which includes Schleswig-Holstein and parts of Lower Saxony. This region was part of the Duchy of Schleswig, an area which was in union with the Kingdom of Denmark and the German Confederation until 1864. It is likely that people bearing the name Roelfs had come to this area by then.
Today Roelfs is quite a rare surname, and according to 2016 estimates it is shared by fewer than 2,000 people in Germany. It is likely that many people bearing this name have emigrated to other countries, particularly to the United States and Canada.
Variations of the surname Roelfs
The surname Roelfs is a patronymic name derived from the Germanic personal name Rolf, with variants Roul, Roulle, Rolff, Roule, and Roll. These names originate from the Old German name Hrodeolf, composed of the elements hrod, meaning "fame" or "glory", and wolf, meaning “wolf”. In medieval times, Roelfs was pronounced in Dutch as ‘Roolf’.
Variants of Roelfs include Rolf and Rolph. The surnames Roelsen, Roelof, Roeloffs, and Roeloffsen are derived from the Dutch form of the name, Roolf. The dialectical variants Rule and Rolland also appear in records. Variants of the name Rolf are also found in Germanic speaking countries, such as Rolf-Schroff and Rolfs, as well as Rulf in Germany.
Similar surnames include Rolfe, Rolle, Rolfson, Rohlf, Roelofsen, Hoelscher, Rolfsen and Roelofs. From the diminutives of Rolf comes the surnames Ralphson, Ralphs, Ralfsen, Rafuls and Raifs. A variant of Rolf found in England is Rolfe, a variation of Rudolph.
In the Netherlands the variants Roul, Roll, Rolf, Roule, Ring, Rien, and Romy are found today, while in Friesland it is Rouleau. The surname Roufus is found mainly in the northern Low Countries. In Germany, the variants Rolfes, Rolph, Ruland, Rolvin, Rohlfs, and Rohlds are also found.
Through generations the surname has evolved and can also appear as Rudd, Ruland, Routh, Routzahn, Rothenberger, Rothfuss, Rotenberger, and Rothfus. Spelling variations in the New World include Rolef, Rolaff, Roll, Rohlf, Rolles, Rolffs, Roelfs, Rolf, Rolfe and many more.
Famous people with the name Roelfs
- Jan Roelfs: Dutch construction entrepreneur
- Carl Roelfs: German physicist
- Christian Roelfs: German composer
- Gerrit Roelfs: Dutch painter
- Jens Roelfs: Danish artist
- Roy Roelfs: American cartoonist
- Willem Roelfs: Dutch singer and songwriter
- Erik Roelfs: Dutch television producer
- Kees Roelfs: Dutch chess grandmaster
- Emil Roelfs: German sculptor and graphic artist