The Roof surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,494 people carried this name — #7,406 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 65,800 people counted. That is up 4% from 4,319 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Roof surname

As an English surname, spelling variant of Rolfe.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Roof» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Rudolph’.

His entry covers Roof and Roofe.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 653 · public domain.

In print

Roof in American newspapers,
1912–1914.

Newspaper page from Big Arm Graphic carrying the name Roof
Big Arm Graphic 1914-06-03
Newspaper page from Keowee Courier carrying the name Roof
Keowee Courier 1912-05-15
Newspaper page from The Lexington Dispatch carrying the name Roof
The Lexington Dispatch 1912-05-15

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 779 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Roof in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

1,848 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Roof. The most, 324, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 615
New South Wales 537
Queensland 253
South Australia 232
Tasmania 92
Western Australia 90
ACT (Canberra) 18
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Roof.

Who carried it

People named Roof,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James B. Roof 1910–1983 · botanist
  • Michael Roof 1976–2009 · actor

Wikidata (CC0) · 8 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Roof,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States319 records

319 records of the Roof name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 141
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 69
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 46
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 27
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 25
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 9
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 1
  • New York State police and firefighter memorial rolls 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Albert E. Roof

    Born 1913 in South Carolina. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Jackson Columbia; salesperson. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Beaufort National Cemetery, South Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ccthne Roof

    Arrived at New York in 1841 aboard the Silvie de Grasse from Havre, aged 23; farmer. From France.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Joshua Roof

    U.S. Army veteran. Born 1832, died 1905; buried at Centreville Cemetery, Thurman, Ohio.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 319 records for Roof in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Netherlands337 records

337 records of the Roof name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 200
  • Dutch population registers 103
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 34
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Theodorus Bernardus Roof

    Married in 1928 in Amsterdam; merchant. Died 1965 in Wilnis, aged 67.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Wilhelmus Hermanus Roof

    Married in 1900 in Nieuwer-Amstel; merchant. Died 1947 in Nieuwer-Amstel, aged 73.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Johannes Petrus Roof

    Died 1953 in Rotterdam, aged 25.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 337 records for Roof in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Australia6 records

6 records of the Roof name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 5
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John C. Roof

    Arrived in Victoria in 1883 aboard the Cephalonia, aged 36.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Henry Roof

    Married 1849 in Bothwell, Tasmania, aged 35.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Fred Roof

    Arrived in Victoria in 1883 aboard the Cephalonia, aged 11.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Roof in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Germany2 records

2 records of the Roof name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Josef Roof

    Born 1896; from Kelz, Düren. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 4 December 1918 (Guard Reserve Regiment No. 1).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Ernst Roof

    From Adl. Reetz, Königsberg N. M. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 6 November 1915 (Leib Grenadier Regiment No. 8).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Canada1 record

1 record of the Roof name in Canada Nova Scotia Archives name indexes
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Joseph Henry Rock Roof

    Married 1946 in Amherst, Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Roof name in the United Kingdom St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Maria Roof

    Buried in 1812 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 28.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Roof.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Roof is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Roof volume
Scroll to Top