Roche
de Róiste · of the rock
Roche is de Róiste in Irish, said deh ROH-ish-teh, and means of the rock.
Norman, from de Rupe, of the rock. In Ireland since the invasion and Gaelicised early: Fermoy was Roche country and Roches Point guards Cork harbour still.
How it changes
- A man: de Róiste
- His daughter: de Róiste
- A woman who married into it: Bean de Róiste
- The family together: de Róiste
Where it comes from
Cork, Limerick and Wexford
Also spelt
Roche, Roach, Roch
A name, not a pedigree
This is where the name came from, which is not the same as where you came from. Names were translated, anglicised, taken on by tenants and neighbours, and carried in by settlers who were no relation to the family that started them. To follow your own line, the 1901 and 1911 censuses are free and searchable, and give the county each person was born in.