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Roll Family History

Roll Surname Meaning

German (also Röll): from Middle High German rolle rulle ‘roll list’ possibly applied as a metonymic occupational name for a scribe.

German: from a short form of the personal names Rudolf or Roland.

German: habitational name from either of two places called Rolle in Westphalia and Pomerania.

English (Norfolk and Suffolk): of Norman origin a variant of Rolfe.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Roll family from?

You can see how Roll families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Roll family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Roll families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 88 Roll families living in London. This was about 23% of all the recorded Roll's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Roll families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Roll surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Roll ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, None and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Roll. 18% of Roll men worked as a None and 67% of Roll women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Roll were Farmer and Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Roll | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • None
    18%
  • Commercial Artist
    12%
  • Old Age Pensioner
    12%
  • Farmer
    12%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    67%
  • Private Means
    10%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    6%
  • Domestic Duties
    5%

What Roll family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 37,000 census records available for the last name Roll. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Roll census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Roll

Passenger Lists

There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Roll. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Roll immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 51,000 military records available for the last name Roll. For the veterans among your Roll ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Roll military records

You've only scratched the surface of Roll family history

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What is the average Roll lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Roll life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 1993. The average life expectancy for Roll in 1944 was 27, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Roll

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Roll ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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