Rom Family History

Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): acronymic surname from the first letters of the Hebrew phrase Reb Menachem from Yiddish reb ‘Mister’ + the Biblical personal name Menachem after Menachem Man (died in 1841) the owner of the famous publishing house in Vilna founded by his father Baruch.

German: habitational name from the city of Rome (named Rom in German) or a nickname for someone who had a connection with Rome, perhaps having been there on a pilgrimage. German: habitational name from a place so named in Pomerania.

German: nickname from dialect ram ‘raven’ or perhaps from the homonym ram ‘frame (of the loom)’ (compare 5 below). This is a Gottscheerish (i.e. Gottschee German) surname originating from the Kočevsko region in Lower Carniola, Slovenia (see Kocevar).

Slovenian: probably a metonymic occupational name for a weaver or for a maker of frames from rom ‘frame (of the loom)’ which is from Middle High German ram (compare Rahm). It may also be of the same origin as the Czech name below (compare Rome) and at least in part of Gottscheerish (i.e. Gottschee German) origin; see 4 above.

Czech: from a short form of any personal names beginning with Rom-, e.g. Roman. Croatian: probably a nickname from the adjective hrom ‘lame, paralysed’ (compare Romich). Alternatively, it may be of the same origin as the Czech name above.