Surname Roggendorff - Meaning and Origin

Roggendorff: What does the surname Roggendorff mean?

The surname Roggendorff is derived from the German word “Rüggendorf”, which itself is derived from the Middle High German surname “Rugendon”. The meaning of the surname is derived from the combination of the Old German words “rucch” meaning “edge” or “border”, and “dorf” meaning “village” or “hamlet”. Therefore, Roggendorff literally translates as ‘an area or village located at the edge of something’, such as a forest or mountain slope.

The Roggendorff name is believed to originate in the Rhineland region of Rheinland-Pfalz, located in the southwest of Germany. It is believed that the first person to hold this surname was likely a landowner or wealthy merchant of some kind, living in a village that lay near a forest or other prominent geographical feature.

The family name Roggendorff can be found in records spanning centuries of German and Eastern European history. Most notably, the surname has been found in records of 17th-century Prussia, the birthplace of the philosopher and mathematician Karl Christian Roggendorf.

Today, the Roggendorff family is a scattered one, with members having emigrated to the four corners of the globe. Although the meaning of the name has been lost over the generations, it remains a proud and respected name in the communities the family has spread to.

Roggendorff: Where does the name Roggendorff come from?

The last name Roggendorff is of German origin from the old baronial estate of Roggendorf, established near the town of Ravenstein in Rhineland Palatinate. Its variant spellings include Rogendorff, Roggendorf, Roggenhöfer, Röghart and Roggensberger.

Currently, the last name Roggendorff is most prevalent in Germany, as well as other parts of Europe. In Germany, the name can be found mostly in the area in and around Rhineland Palatinate. Roggendorff is also a popular name in Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden the Netherlands and Croatia. In the United States, it can mostly be found in Pennsylvania, California, New Jersey, New York, and Illinois.

In modern times, the Roggendorffs are an established family of barons whose ancestry traces back to the 14th century. They have achieved fame in many areas, from politics and law to science and the arts. Among the most famous Roggendorffs is General Count Arvid Adolf Roggendorf, who was a German general in the Imperial German Army during the First World War.

The legacy of the Roggendorff family lives on today and their name is sure to remain rooted in history for many more generations.

Variations of the surname Roggendorff

The surname Roggendorff is an older German surname that can also be spelled Roggendorf, Rogendorf, Rogendorph, Rogendorff, Rogendoff, and Roggen. It is derived from the Germanic personal names Raginhart and Durf, which come from two separate Germanic elements: "ragin" meaning "counselor, decision-maker" and "durf" meaning "bold, daring, adventurous".

The Roggendorff surname is believed to have first appeared on the Svendborg coat of arms, a noble house in Slesvig, Denmark. This is uncontested however, as there are multiple German and Dutch families with the same name. One example of this is the Roggendorff family of Oberhausen, a small city in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia region.

Today, the Roggendorff surname can still be found in Europe, especially in Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands. It is also common in the United States and Canada, where it is spelled differently. Variations include Roggendorff, Rogendorph, Rogendorff, Rogendoff, Roggen, and Roggenbrod.

The Roggendorff surname is also often found in combination with other surnames, due to the popularity of double-barrel names especially in Europe. A few examples of these are Roggendorff-Haberkorn, Wilke-Roggendorff, and Keller-Roggendorff.

Since the Roggendorf surname is of Germanic origin, it is commonly found in the records of German-speaking countries throughout history. But the surname, or variations thereof, can also be found in the records of countries where German immigrants settled, like the United States and Canada.

Famous people with the name Roggendorff

• Erwin von Roggendorff, 19th and early 20th century German lawyer
• Alfred Roggendorff, German entomologist
• Joseph Roggendorff, German actor
• Louise Roggendorff, first president of European Women Lawyers Association
• Lorraine Roggendorff, former mayor of Potsdam, Germany
• Uwe Roggendorff, German writer and journalist
• Anita Roggendorff, German television presenter
• Christine Roggendorff, German color perception theorist
• Rosa Roggendorff, 19th century pianist
• Felix Roggendorff, German World War I hero
• Gustav Roggendorff, German physician
• Jakob Roggendorff, German Naturopath
• Karl-Heinz Roggendorff, German physicist
• Johann Wilhelm Roggendorff, 19th century German dialectologist
• Michael Roggendorff, Austro-Hungarian aristocrat

Other surnames

Roggendorf