Routh
A surname most often taken from a place name, especially Routh in Yorkshire, meaning a clearing.
The #8,969 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 84,634 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Routh is generally explained as a locational surname from Routh in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The place-name is linked to Old Norse roots meaning “a clearing” or “the clearing,” pointing to a settlement in woodland. Some historical writers also noted a possible connection with an Old Norse word for “red,” but the place-name explanation is the main one for the surname.
History
Nineteenth-century surname dictionaries consistently treat Routh as a Yorkshire place-name surname. Historical spellings such as Rute and Rutha appear in older records, showing how the name developed over time. The surname later spread beyond Yorkshire and is now found in Britain and the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname appears in older references alongside Routledge and Royd, other names tied to northern English and Scandinavian place-name patterns.
From the historical record
“estate, farm, etc.] ROUTH (Scand.) i Bel. to Routh (Yorks), the Domesday Rute, Rutha = the Clearing [O.N. ru\, a clearing] Cp. Royd. 2 Red, Red-Haired [O.N. rau^-r, red] ROUTLEDGE (Eng.) Bel. to Routledge”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)