Dutch Surname Research · Netherlands Heritage
Dutch surname · meaning, origin and genealogy
A surname derived from roos, the Dutch word for rose — applied as a nickname for someone who lived near a rose bush or garden, or for a person of gentle, fair appearance. In some families, Roos derives from the Germanic given name Hrodwulf (Rudolf) through a shortened pet form. The rose was one of the most common emblems in medieval Dutch heraldry and inn signs, giving topographic and house-name origins to some Roos families. The name also appears as Rosa, De Roos, and Van Roos.
Common across the Netherlands and Flemish Belgium. Carried to South Africa through Dutch colonial settlement, where it appears in the Cape Dutch community.
Sigrid Roos (born 1985), Dutch Paralympic swimmer, multiple world champion. Also: the De Roos brewing families of Delft and Rotterdam, prominent in the Dutch Golden Age trade.
ROHS
Roos families in the Dutch Golden Age are well-documented in the Amsterdam city archives and in the maritime records of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). South African Roos families should consult the Western Cape Archives and the Genealogical Society of South Africa. The CBG holds a comprehensive surname database.
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