An Irish and English surname, Roach comes from the Old French term ‘roche’ which refers to a rocky cliff. The spelling variations for Roach include Rocheland, Roache, LaRoche, Roche, Roack, Roch, Rochellan and LaRoach. In Ireland the earliest Roach families lived in County Limerick. During the early 19th century many Irish Roach families resettled in England, Canada, the United States and Australia. In England the Roach families are scattered across Wales and England. The highest concentrations of the name are in the city of London, Essex, Yorkshire, Durham, Lancashire, Hampshire, Cornwall, Somerset in England and Glamorgan in Wales. In Scotland the counties of Lanarkshire, Midlothian, West Lothian, Renfrewshire and Aberdeenshire have the greater Roach populations. Within the United States the Roach families originated in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois and Texas. Famous: David Roach (professional football player), Steve Roach (musician), Hal Roach (movie film director and producer), Max Roach (musician - drummer), Danny Roach (footballer in Australia), John Ross Roach (Canadian ice hockey player), Ruth Roach (champion rodeo performer), Jay Roach (movie film director and producer) and A. J. Roach (singer and songwriter).