Roth
A surname meaning “red” or “ruddy,” used as a nickname in German-speaking areas.
The #574 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,298 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Roth comes from German roth, meaning “red” or “ruddy,” ultimately from Old High German rōt. As a surname, it was typically a descriptive nickname for someone with red hair, a reddish complexion, or another red-associated trait. It is a straightforward cognate of the English word “red.”
History
The name is common in German-speaking countries and also appears in Ashkenazi Jewish naming traditions, where surnames were often adopted or adapted from German words. In English records, Roth may sometimes appear through immigration rather than as a native English surname. Related forms such as Rothschild preserve the same color-root element.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root behind Roth is also found in surnames like Rothschild, literally “red shield.”
From the historical record
“tal, valley, dale] ROTH (Ger.) Red, Ruddy [Ger. roth, O.H.Ger. rdl] ROTHSCHILD (Ger.) Red Shield (sign-name) [see under Roth, and + Ger. schild, O.H.Ger. scilt, shield, escutcheon] ROUGEMONT (Fr.) Red Mount [Fr. rouge,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Roth
- Philip Roth (1933–2018)
- Joseph Roth (1894–1939)
- Tim Roth (b. 1961)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.