THE ROTTMANN NAME

   The surname ROTTMANN is a German and Ashkenazi Jewish nickname for a person with red hair.  The name was originally derived from the Old German word ROT which means red and MANN meaning, the one[s].  As a Jewish surname it was adopted for the same reason.  The name has numerous and variant spellings which include the following examples found in U. S. and German census reports:

Rottmann

 Rottman Rotman                            
Rothmann Rathmann Roothmann
Rottermann Rattermann Rotte
Rother Roter Roiter
Roitemann Rodemann Roodemann
Rutmann Rudmann Redmann
    Surnames that have been derived from nicknames form the broadest and most miscellaneous class of surnames and encompass many different types of origin.  The most typical classes refer adjectivally to the general physical aspect of the person, his dress, or to his character.  Many nicknames refer to a man's size or height, while others make reference to a favored article of clothing or style of dress.  
    In the Middle Ages ideas were held about the characters of other living creatures, based on observation, and these associations were reflected and reinforced by large bodies of folk tales featuring animals behaving as humans.  Many surnames also derived from the names of animals and birds.  
    When traditional Jews were forced to take family names by the local bureaucracy, it was an obligation imposed  from outside traditional society, and people often took the names playfully and let their imaginations run wild by choosing names which corresponded to nothing real in their world.  No one alive today can remember the times when Jews took or were given family names.  For most Ashkenazim [Jews of the areas of northern Europe, predominantly Germany, Poland and Russia], and for Germans, there is memory and family record of  names being changed after emigration to other countries such as the United States and Israel in both recent years and at the end of the 18th century.   
    A second commonly held reference for the meaning of the Rottmann family name relates to the wearing of the color red or having a red marking or identification on the person.  This red marking is thought to refer to the red neckerchief worn or tied about the neck when a guard was on duty.  The red identification goes back to the early times of the Roman armies who were in the area of north Europe and came up to the area of Bremen on the Weser River.  The Red Ones [the Rott Manns] were the guards of the fortress; they were on the walls that surrounded the towns and villages; they were in the church towers to keep the watch. 
    No references to the Rottmann surname were found in the Safardic Jewish names of southern Europe made up of Spain, Italy, Greece and the several settlements in northern Africa. The Rottmann family name can be found in all of the northern countries of Europe and especially in the country of Hungary.  

THE ROTTMANN COAT OF ARMS

 

HERALDRY FOR A COAT OF ARMS

   Heraldry is defined as the art or science of blazoning or describing in appropriate terms Coats of Arms and other heraldic and armorial insignia and is of very ancient origin.
   These badges of distinction were the reward of personal merit and could be secured by the humblest as well as the highest.  They are today the testimonials and warrants of bravery, heroism and meritorious deeds of ancestors. 
   The name derived from the father is common in most countries.  As children grew, it was not unusual to refer to them by the name of their parents.  The addition of -son to a name would identify the offspring of a person.  Thus we find the Scandinavian and English -son; the Greek -pulos; the Finnish -nen; the Polish -wiecz; the Spanish -ez all denoting the son.  The Irish O' means grandson while the prefix Mac, Mc indicates in Gaelic and Scottish, son.
   Symbols.  There is no specific meaning or explanation now available for the various designs and insignia used in Heraldry.  The origin of most of these logos and symbols is now obscure.  Most designs and designations that have evolved down through the centuries were developed by the Heralds at the time when Arms were being granted; the number and type of symbols was added to as more Arms came into use.  The principal heraldic devices in use have been taken from Animals, Birds, Reptiles, Insects, Trees, Plants, Flowers, Celestial Objects [Sun and Stars] and Monsters.  The latter designs are often in the realm of the bizarre; they are representative of creatures drawn from classical and medieval mythology.
   Crest and Motto.  Variations are often found in the Crest and Motto used by various branches of one family, and sometimes no record of the crest or motto can be traced.  Many of these scripts and symbols may have been lost in ancient times, and with the passing of centuries they were omitted from family keepsakes and forgotten.
  

Traditional Meaning of Heraldic Charges and Colors.

          Gules [Red]  -  fire, fortitude
          Or [Gold]  -  purity, valor
          Azure [Blue]  -  loyalty, truth
          Argent [Silver]  -  peace, nobility
           Vert [Green]  -  strength, freshness
          Purpure [Purple]  -  justice, majesty
          Ermine [White]  -  valor, leadership
          Sable [Black]  -  repentance, royalty
 

  Blazen of Arms:  Rottmann, Germany  #1123
           Arms:  Vert, on a Bend Argent three Roses Gules seeded Or, barbed proper.
           Crest:  Two Buffalo Horns Vert, the dexter charged with a Bend sinister, the sinister with a Bend Argent.        
          Motto:  From Germany, the Country of Origin - no recorded motto.
          Charges:
          The Bend:  a very High Honor signifying Defense and Protection.
          The Red Rose:  denotes Beauty and Grace.
          The Buffalo Horn:  denotes Strength and Fortitude. 
   Note:  The Rottmann Coat of Arms was obtained through Heraldry International of Seaside, Oregon.  The secondary sources were through a firm in London, England which dealt with a firm in Hamburg, Germany.  The story of the red identification of the Red Ones [die Rott Mann] of the Roman Armies and the tower guards was taken from a print source at the Auslander Bibliotek in Bremerhaven.  The page in this reference with the Rottmann Coat of Arms is missing; the descriptions of The Bend and The Buffalo Horn for the Rott Mann are in old German script. 

 
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