Origin: 1595–1605; earlier rowle powle, rowly-powly worthless fellow, game involving rolling balls, rhyming compound based on roll (v.); for second element compare poll1
"short and stout," 1820, probably a varied reduplication of roll. As a noun, it was used as the name of various ball games from 1713, and it was used as early as 1613 in the sense of "rascal."