2000
#9,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,978
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Roane
Derived from the Irish Ó Ruadháin, meaning "descendant of Ruadhán," a personal name meaning "red-haired" or "ruddy-complexioned."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,330 Americans carry the last name Roane. That puts it at #10,534 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,929 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roane 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.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 102,929
Census rank
#10,534
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,904 bearers of the surname Roane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10534th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roane, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.1%. The next largest groups are White (44.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roane
Among Census respondents with the surname Roane, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.1%. The next largest groups are White (44.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Roane 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 Roane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.1% · 1,338
- White44.4% · 1,290
- Two or more races5.0% · 145
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roane
Roane 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
#9,632
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,370
+392 bearers (+13.2%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 357 places
2020
#10,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,904
-466 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 902 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,989 | 2,978 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,632 | 3,370 | 1.14 | +392 bearers (+13.2%) | Up 357 places |
| 2020 | #10,534 | 2,904 | 0.97 | -466 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 902 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 Roane 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 | #9,632 | #10,534 | -9.4% |
| Count | 3,370 | 2,904 | -13.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 0.97 | -14.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roane bearers went from 3,370 to 2,904 (-13.8% change). The surname moved down 902 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,632 to #10,534.
FAQ
Roane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roane?
Name Census estimates that about 3,330 living Americans carry the surname Roane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,929 residents.
How common is Roane?
Roane ranks #10,534 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,904 people with the surname Roane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,330), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Roane.
Has Roane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roane went from 3,370 recorded bearers to 2,904. That is a decrease of 466 (-13.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,632 to #10,534.
What does the Census say about the background of Roane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roane, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.1%. The next largest groups are White (44.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Roane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.1% (1,338 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.1%), White (44.4%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Roane (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 Roane mean?
Derived from the Irish Ó Ruadháin, meaning "descendant of Ruadhán," a personal name meaning "red-haired" or "ruddy-complexioned." 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 Roane (0.97 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 Roane?
See how many people are called Roane on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.