From the Norman de la Roche — a name that came to Ireland and, in time, became wholly Irish.
Norman Origin · Root meaning “rock”
Roche derives from the Norman-French roche, meaning “rock” — first given to those who lived beside a prominent rock or rocky outcrop. It came to Ireland through Richard FitzGodebert de la Roche, among the earliest Norman arrivals of 1167.
Arriving as Norman settlers, the family became, within two centuries, wholly Irish — a name that began as foreign stone became, in time, unshakably Irish ground.
Irish form: Mac Róis
