2000
#704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,454
First available Census row
Per 100,000 16.48
Uncommon Last name
Roach
An English occupational surname referring to someone who gathered or sold a type of freshwater fish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 48,368 Americans carry the last name Roach. That puts it at #798 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 14.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,086 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roach surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Roach with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
48K
1 in 7,086
Census rank
#798
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
14.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
42K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 42,179 bearers of the surname Roach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 14.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 798th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roach, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roach
The surname "Roach" is believed to have originated in England, where it first appeared in records during the 13th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "rohha," which referred to a small, elongated fish, or the Middle English word "roche," meaning a rock or rocky outcrop.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from the year 1275, which mention a person named Adam le Roche. The name was likely an occupational surname, given to someone who lived near a rocky area or worked with fish.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as "de la Roche," "atte Roche," and "Roche," reflecting the evolving spelling and usage of the name over time. One notable reference is found in the Chancery Rolls of 1386, which record a John de la Roche from Gloucestershire.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name underwent further changes, with spellings like "Roache," "Roach," and "Roche" becoming more common. One prominent individual from this era was Sir William Roach (c. 1580-1647), an English diplomat and Member of Parliament.
Another noteworthy figure was John Roach (1815-1887), an Irish-American shipbuilder and industrialist who established the renowned Roach Shipyard in Chester, Pennsylvania. He played a significant role in the development of the American shipbuilding industry during the 19th century.
In the realm of literature, Max Roach (1924-2007) was an influential American jazz drummer, percussionist, and composer who made significant contributions to the development of bebop and modern jazz.
Other individuals with this surname include Darren Roach (born 1972), an English former professional footballer, and Andrew Roach (born 1980), an American actor known for his roles in television series such as "Desperate Housewives" and "Supernatural."
While the surname "Roach" has evolved over the centuries and spread to various parts of the world, its origins can be traced back to the rocky landscapes and fishing communities of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roach
Among Census respondents with the surname Roach, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Roach bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Roach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.2% · 32,549
- Black or African American13.5% · 5,705
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,807
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,517
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 353
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 248
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roach
Roach appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,019
+565 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 15.26
Rank movement Down 60 places
2020
#798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,179
-2,840 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 14.11
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #704 | 44,454 | 16.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #764 | 45,019 | 15.26 | +565 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 60 places |
| 2020 | #798 | 42,179 | 14.11 | -2,840 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 34 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Roach surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #764 | #798 | -4.5% |
| Count | 45,019 | 42,179 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 15.26 | 14.11 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roach bearers went from 45,019 to 42,179 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #764 to #798.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Roach
FAQ
Roach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roach?
Name Census estimates that about 48,368 living Americans carry the surname Roach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,086 residents.
How common is Roach?
Roach ranks #798 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 14.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 42,179 people with the surname Roach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (48,368), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 14.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 14.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Roach.
Has Roach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roach went from 45,019 recorded bearers to 42,179. That is a decrease of 2,840 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #764 to #798.
What does the Census say about the background of Roach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roach, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Roach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.2% (32,549 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.2%), Black (13.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Roach (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Roach mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who gathered or sold a type of freshwater fish. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Roach (14.11 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Roach?
You can see how many people are called Roach on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.