Rowbotham is a surname. Etymologically it is roe–bottom, meaning a depression in the ground (Old English bothm) inhabited by deer (roe). The name originates from such a geographic feature near Ashton-under-Lyne, England. Notable people with the surname include:
David Rowbotham (born 1924), Australian poet and journalistJason Rowbotham (born 1969), Welsh footballerJoseph Rowbotham (1831–1899), English cricketerMichael Rowbotham, political and economic writer and commentatorMike Rowbotham (born 1965), South African footballerSamuel Rowbotham (1816–1884), English inventor and writer, advocate for a flat earthSheila Rowbotham (born 1943), British socialist feminist theoristThomas Charles Leeson Rowbotham (1823–1875), British painterThomas Leeson Scrase Rowbotham (1782–1853), British painterW. A. Rowbotham (Roy) British engineer with Rolls-Royce, designer of the Rolls-Royce Meteor tank engine