Find out how popular the last name Roane is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Roane.

Roane, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Roane surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roane in America

Roane is the 9632nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roane surname appeared 3,370 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Roane.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roane to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Roane

The surname Roane has its origins in France, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "roigne," which means "rough" or "scaly," possibly indicating that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone with a rough or scaly appearance.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Roane can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In the book, there is a reference to a landowner named Roan, which is believed to be an early spelling variation of the surname.

During the Middle Ages, the name Roane was primarily concentrated in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Brittany. It is possible that the name was brought to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, as many French nobles and their followers settled in various parts of the country.

Notable individuals with the surname Roane include Sir Thomas Roane (c. 1490-1552), an English politician and landowner who served as Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk during the reign of King Henry VIII. Another significant figure was John Roane (1634-1718), an early settler in Virginia and a member of the House of Burgesses, the colonial legislature of Virginia.

In the 18th century, the name Roane gained prominence in the United States, particularly in Virginia and the surrounding states. One of the most notable figures was Spencer Roane (1762-1822), a Virginia judge and statesman who served as a judge on the Virginia Court of Appeals and played a crucial role in the development of American constitutional law.

Another prominent individual was Archibald Roane (1760-1819), an American lawyer and politician who served as the second Governor of Tennessee from 1801 to 1803. He was also a member of the Tennessee General Assembly and played a significant role in the early political development of the state.

The surname Roane has also been associated with several place names, such as Roanne, a town in central France, and Roanoke, a city in Virginia that was named after the historic Roanoke Colony established in the late 16th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roane

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Roane.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Roane was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Roane has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Roane was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Roane, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!