Rohan is also the name of a noble family of Breton/French origin. They were one of the most illustrious families in pre-Revolutionary France, although they currently reside in Austria.
In 1105 Alain de Porhoët built the castle of Rohan on the Oust river in Brittany. He and his descendants became an important immediate vassal of the duke of Brittany, and later the king of France. The family produced some cadet branches, the most important of which were Guéméné, which produced the dukes of Montbazon and the princes of Soubise. Another important branch was the Fontenay, after 1646 known as Rohan-Chabot.
All the branches of this family were given the rank of
foreign prince and many were dukes and
peers as well.
The most famous member of this family was probably Louis-René-Edouard de Rohan-Guéméné, cardinal-archbishop of Strasbourg and Grand Almoner of France. Known as the cardinal de Rohan, it was he who was involved in the necklace affair which compromised Marie-Antoinette.