Rose History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Researchers have been unable to trace the origin of this Clan to before 1155, as the Clanapparently took no part in the ancient rebellion of the Moray Clans and therefore was not recorded as being transported by Malcolm IV (as many of their neighbors were). 

However, the answer may lie with a knight named Ros, of Ros, near Caen, who accompanied William the Conqueror and was given lands in 1069 in Kent, England by the half brother of the Conqueror, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. Those territories were either enlarged or acquired by a marriage to the heiress Mary Bosco. 

The Boscos were a noble Norman family. During that period of unrest many noble families moved northwards in the train of Margaret, King Malcolm Ceanmore’s second wife, to escape the ponderous rule of William. Because of the tightly knit family connections of the Rose and the Bosco families, the origin seems quite certain.

Early Origins of the Rose family

The surname Rose was first found in Nairn, in Kilravock County, Scotland. The family settled in this area in 1282, when Hugh Rose of Geddes married Mary, daughter of Sir Andrew de Bosco. Mary Bosco was the heiress of the Bissets of Lovat. Hugh Rose was the son of the Hugh Rose of Geddes who witnessed a Charter in Beauly prior to 1219 and is the first recorded Chief of the Clan. Hugh of Kilravock (the son) was one of the few who did not submit to King Edward I of England in 1296. His son, William, captured Invernairn Castle for Robert the Bruce in 1306. [1]

Early History of the Rose family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rose research.

Rose Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Rose, Roose, Ròs (Gaelic) and many more.

Early Notables of the Rose family (pre 1700)

Notable among the family at this time was Arthur Rose (Ross) (1634-1704), a Scottish minister, Archbishop of St Andrews (1684-1689), Bishop of Argyll (1675-1679); Alexander Rose (1647-1720) was a Scottish scholar, minister and bishop, Professor of Divinity at the University of Glasgow and Principal of St Mary’s College, St Andrews; and William Rose who was Grieve (manager) to Lord President Forbes, on.

Rose World Ranking

In the United States, the name Rose is the 157^th most popular surname with an estimated 146,733 people with that name. [2] However, in Canada, the name Rose is ranked the 204^thmost popular surname with an estimated 18,720 people with that name. [3] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Rose is the 964^th popular surname. [4] Newfoundland, Canada ranks Rose as 25^th with 711 people. [5] France ranks Rose as 476^th with 9,328 people. [6] Australia ranks Rose as 135^th with 20,389 people. [7] New Zealand ranks Rose as 166^th with 3,147 people. [8]The United Kingdom ranks Rose as 140^th with 35,884 people. [9]

 Migration of the Rose family to Ireland

Some of the Rose family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.

 Rose migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were: 

Rose Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Mary, Samuel, and John Rose, who settled in Virginia in 1608
• Miss Rebecca Rose, aged 30, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship “Mary Gold” [10]
• Danyell Rose, aged 3, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship “Francis” [11]
• Darcas Rose, aged 2, who landed in New England in 1634 aboard the ship “Francis” [11]
• Mr. Robert Rose, aged 40, who landed in New England in 1634 aboard the ship “Francis” [10]