Roosevelt (name)  The name Roosevelt is an American toponymic surname derived from the Dutch surname Van Rosevelt/Van Rosenvelt, meaning "from rose field" or "of a rose field." The most famous bearers of this name come from the Roosevelt family, a merchant and political family descended from the 17th-century immigrant to New Netherland Claes Maartenszen van Rosenvelt. In the United States, the surname ranked as the 15,060th most common surname in the 1990 U.S. Census, accounting for 0.001% of the American population. By the 2000 U.S. Census, the surname was ranked as the 24,406th most common family name. There were 961 individuals recorded at that time using the surname Roosevelt, and of these, 64% identified as being white, 27.26% black, 1.87% Asian and Pacific Islander, 1.77% American Indian and Native Alaskan and 1.66% of Hispanic ethnic origin. In 1410, William III, Duke of Bavaria, Count of Holland and of Zeeland granted amt fiefdoms north of Tholen to six lords. An amt fief was a grant of land to vassal lords where the land had been or needed to be dyked and reclaimed from the sea. The vassal lords held several powers from their position, such as appointing the steward and alderman that governed the municipal area, inflicting corporal punishment and even pass death sentences by hanging in several situations. One of the first amt lords was Marijnus van Rosevelt, whose lordship dates back to 1697. Johan Willem van Rosevelt, LL.M, was also an amt lord from 1731 until 1790, and also held the prominent positions of steward of Vossemeer, councilor, alderman and pensionary of Goes, Steward of the Count's Domains to oversee clerical goods, common means and taxes in Biervliet, deputy councilor of Zeeland and admiralty councilor. The Van Rosevelt name holds a place of prominence in the Oud-Vossemeer House of Amt Lords, which was constructed in 1767, even amongst the other amt lords. It has been suggested that Claes van Rosenvelt was related to the Van Rosevelts of Oud-Vossemeer, and evidence suggests that Claes van Rosenvelt indeed came from the Tholen region where the Van Rosevelts were land owners, but no records exist that prove any relation of the two families.