Rostow is an Americanized form of the Russian and Ashkenazi Jewish toponymic surname Rostov (Russian: Ростов; masculine) or Rostova (Ростова; feminine). It indicates someone from Rostov in Russia. Notable people with the surname include: Elspeth Rostow (1917–2007), American educator and policy advisor Eugene V. Rostow (1913–2002), American jurist Walt Whitman Rostow (1916–2003), American economist and political theorist See also Rostov (disambiguation) Rostov, town in Russia Rostov-on-Don, city in Russia Rostovsky (disambiguation)