Roth (surname)

Roth () is an English, German, or Jewish origin surname. There are seven theories on its origin: # The spilling of blood from the warrior class of ancient Germanic soldiers; # Ethnic name for an Anglo-Saxon, derived from ''rot'' (meaning "red" before the 7th century), referencing red-haired people; # Topographical name, derived from ''rod'' (meaning "wood"), meaning a dweller in such a location; # Derivative from ''hroth'' (from the Proto-Germanic word for "fame"; related to ''hrod''); # Local name for 18th-century Ashkenazi refugees to Germany; # Derivative from ''roe'' in the ancient Danish language to signify (of) a king; # Of the red colour of clay, as in pottery (German).

Note: Roth is not originally a Hebrew surname. Its origins are in northern Europe, and it is a common name in Scotland and other English-speaking countries as well as in German-speaking countries. For historic reasons, the Jewish people adopted various established names, many of which were common amongst non-Jewish people in their respective countries.

The first English-language historic record of the surname 'Roth' appeared in the United Kingdom in Colchester and Essex public records in 1346. Provided by Wikipedia