Renfroe
An English and Scottish surname from a place name, ultimately meaning “the green river” or “the field by the river.”
The #6,956 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 64,029 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Renfroe is generally treated as a locational surname, most likely from a place-name of northern British origin. The first element is often linked to a river name or an older word for a stream, while the second element is commonly explained with a term for a meadow or open field. In broad terms, the name points to someone who came from a settlement or landscape described by river-and-field imagery.
History
The surname appears in several spellings in English-speaking records, and forms like Renfrow, Renfroe, and Renfrew often overlap in family history. It is especially associated with the British Isles and later with North America, where spelling variation became fixed in different branches of the same family. Because the name is relatively uncommon, many modern bearers descend from only a few early lines.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Renfroe is one of several surnames whose spelling drifted far enough from the original place-name that different branches now look like separate names, even when they share the same root.