Name of the Week: Roscoe

 

Origin:

Roscoe is an uncommon English surname which heralds specifically from Lancashire. Although one can't be found on the map anymore, it is most likely the surname was a geographical one  taken from one of the many villages or hamlets which did not survive past the 15th century, thanks to the Black Death and land clearances. Roscoe most likely derived from the Old Norse rā "roe deer, roebuck," and skógr "small wood, forest, copse." This is mirrored in Derbyshire's village of Rowland (from Old Norse rā "roe" + lundr "wood) and similar to nearby Thrunscoe (þyrni "thorn" + skógr "wood, forest, copse") in Yorkshire.

Usage:

The earliest attested record of the surname dates from 1293, when a Gilbert Roscoe of Euxton, Lancashire is mentioned in the Wills at Chester. The name continues to be found in parish records in Lancashire through to the 16th century, gradually becoming more widespread around the country.  Data from the Surname Atlas. Click to enlarge. As with all surnames,  Roscoe did have some early use as a given name from the 16th century as a family or godparent surname. Intriguingly, data from the 1881 census shows that use of Roscoe -- very rare as it was -- centred in Lancashire, the origin, and maintained hot-spot of the surname.  In England and Wales, use of Rosco(e) as a given name was very uncommon throughout the 19th century, and even rarer in the 20th century, as births per decade show: 1840s: 7 births 1850s: 8 births 1860s: 13 births 1870s: 25 births 1880s: 19 births 1890s: 29 births 1900s: 21 births 1910s: 16 births 1920s: 8 births 1930s: 4 births 1940s: 4 births 1950s: 8 births 1960s: 16 births In America, on the other hand, Roscoe ranked #152 in 1880, #138 in 1885, #145 in 1890 and #174 in 1895.  One notable bearer -- known to have been a direct namesake for American parents -- is American senator Roscoe Conkling (1829-1888), a Radical Republican who fought against anti-black prejudice. Because of his standing in politics, many babies were named after him in the 1870s, including silent film actor Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle (b.1877), educator Roscoe Conkling Bruce (1879), and senators Roscoe Conkling Patterson (b. 1876) and Roscoe Conkling McCulloch (b. 1880). Roscoe remained within the top 200 at the turn of the century, only leaving the US top 300 at the end of the 1920s. The name stayed in the top 1000 right up until 1978.  click to enlarge Up until the last few years, Roscoe remained rare in Britain. Its breezy, hipster surname status has moved it out of obscurity, and it is now on an upward curve.  In 1998, Roscoe ranked #2419 (4 births) and was used intermittently until 2006 when it ranked #1545 (12 births).  The turning point in popularity came in 2013, when it rose to #1339 (18 births) and further to #866 (34 births) in 2014.  In 2015, Roscoe and Rosco both ranked #1234 (1 birth) in Scotland. It did not rank in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Roscoe Conkling (1829-1888), American politician. * Roscoe Miller (1876-1913), American Major League Baseball pitcher. * Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle (1877-1933), silent film star. * Roscoe Nicholson (1887-1959), American surveyor and conservationist. * Roscoe Karns (1891-1970), American actor. * Roscoe Holcomb (1912-1981), American singer and musician. Contemporary: * Roscoe Lee Browne (1925-2007), American actor and director. * Roscoe Born (b. 1950), American actor. * Roscoe D'Sane (b. 1980), British footballer. Literature and Other Media: * Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane, a character from The Dukes of Hazzard. Other: * Roscoe (2002), a novel by William Kennedy.

Variants:

Rosco, Rosko, Roscow

Pronunciation:

ROS-kō [key]

Possible diminutives:

Ross, Rock, Roe

Sibling Names:

Kinvara     Peony      Sylvie     Everly      Bellamy     Cassia  Beckett     Lennox    Treeve     Lorcan     Keaton     Emmett

Name Lists:

N/A

 

If you like Roscoe you may also like:    Reeve, Macsen, Kester, Reed, Alban, Robson, Hendrix, Cosmo, Saxon, Fintan

 

Thanks to Sarah for requesting this post.