The Rothwell surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,579 people carried this name — #7,279 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 64,500 people counted. That is up 5% from 4,362 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Rothwell surname

From Old English *roþa, the genitive plural of *roþ (“forest clearing”) + wielle (“spring”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Rothwell» (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 local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Rothwell’.

An early record he cites: Johanna de Rothewell, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 655 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 10 births for the Rothwell name in 1890.

Most were registered in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 9
Ulster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Rothwell was found among the farmers of Lancashire: 12 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Lancashire 12

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Rothwell in American newspapers,
1908–1925.

Newspaper page from The Mississippi Union Advocate And Southern Farm And Home carrying the name Rothwell
The Mississippi Union Advocate And Southern Farm And Home 1908-11-25
Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Rothwell
Daily Kennebec Journal 1911-08-02
Newspaper page from The Carbon County News carrying the name Rothwell
The Carbon County News 1925-10-01

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 35,596 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Rothwell in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

11,247 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Rothwell. The most, 2,884, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 2.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 3,081
Queensland 2,900
Victoria 2,015
Tasmania 1,923
Western Australia 784
South Australia 443
ACT (Canberra) 55
Northern Territory 13

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

Who carried it

People named Rothwell,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Elizabeth Rothwell d. 1736
  • Isabella Rothwell d. 1876
  • Georgina Eleanor Rothwell d. 1888
  • Richard Rothwell d. 1780
  • Catherine Prendergast d. 1860
  • John Rothwell d. 1842

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Rothwell,
in the records of 7 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 States783 records

783 records of the Rothwell name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 188
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 182
  • Other U.S. records 413
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Charles F. Rothwell

    Born 1919 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island; metal worker from Kings County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1975, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    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 Alice Rothwell

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Etruria from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 30; matron. From Manchester, England.

    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 Paul William Rothwell

    U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. Born 1930, died 1997; buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

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

Showing 3 of 783 records for Rothwell in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). 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).

Australia707 records

707 records of the Rothwell name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 368
  • Tasmanian Names Index 184
  • Other Australian records 155
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Sarah Rebecca Rothwell

    Born 1841 in Hobart, Tasmania. Married 1869 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 27.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Robert Stanton Rothwell

    Born 1850 in Hobart, Tasmania. Died 1902 in Tasmania, aged 51.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Richard Rothwell

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the John, arriving 1827; certificate of freedom 1834.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 707 records for Rothwell in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada45 records

45 records of the Rothwell name in Canada
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 11
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 10
  • Other Canadian records 24
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Rothwell

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Circassian, landing at Quebec, bound for Merritton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Kathleen Nora Rothwell

    Buried in 1990 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 78.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Joanne Rothwell

    Died 1963 in Truro, Colchester, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 45 records for Rothwell in Canada.

Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom44 records

44 records of the Rothwell name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 37
  • Welsh wills index cards 3
  • Other British records 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Rosemary Rothwell

    Died 2000, aged 57; buried at St Thomas Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Elizabeth Rothwell

    Will proved in 1878; of Bangor, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. Rothwell

    York and Lancaster Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 44 records for Rothwell in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · 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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand18 records

18 records of the Rothwell name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 10
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 8
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Johanna Mary Rothwell

    Died 1954, aged 60; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Rose Sarah Rothwell

    Died 1924, aged 61; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Rothwell

    Died 1934, aged 51; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 18 records for Rothwell in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands10 records

10 records of the Rothwell name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ephraim Thomason Rothwell

    Married in 1840 in Goor; engine driver.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Harriett Josephine Rothwell

    Born 1856 in Hellendoorn.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Colin William Rothwell

    Born 1849 in Goor.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Rothwell 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).

France3 records

3 records of the Rothwell name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Susan Patricia Rothwell

    Born 1947 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Saint-Cloud (Hauts-de-Seine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Peter Rothwell

    Born 1919 in the United Kingdom; died 1992 in Montpellier (Hérault).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Aida Rothwell

    Born 1913 in Great Britain; died 1996 in Carcassonne (Aude).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Rothwell.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Rothwell 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.

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