This French name of ROYER was a metonymic occupational name for a wheelwright, or for someone who worked at or lived by a water-wheel. The name was originally derived from the Old French word RODE (wheel). Occupational surnames originally denoted the actual occupation followed by the individual. At what period they became hereditary is a difficult problem. Many of the occupation names were descriptive and could be varied. In the Middle Ages, at least among the Christian population, people did not usually pursue specialized occupations exclusively to the extent that we do today, and they would, in fact, turn their hand to any form of work that needed to be done, particularly in a large house or mansion, or on farms and smallholdings. In early documents, surnames often refer to the actual holder of an office, whether the church or state. A notable member of the name was Pierre Paul Royer-Collard (1763-1845) the French philosopher and politician, born in Sompuis in Champagne. He began as an advocate, and on the outbreak of the Revolution was elected member of the muncipality of Paris. In 1792 he fled from the Jacobins to his birthplace, and in 1797 served for a few months on the Council of Five Hundred. He eventually became president in 1828 of the Chamber of Representatives, and presented the address of March 1830, which the king refused to hear read. The earliest French hereditary surnames are found in the 12th century, at more or less the same time as they arose in England, but they are by no means common before the 13th century, and it was not until the 15th century that they stabilized to any great extent; before then a surname might be handed down for two or three generations, but then abandoned in favour of another. In the south, many French surnames have come in from Italy over the centuries, and in Northern France, Germanic influence can often be detected. The associated coat of arms are recorded in Rietstaps Armoral General. Arms registered in Lorraine. |
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