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

Roark, 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 Roark surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roark in America

Roark is the 2489th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roark surname appeared 14,509 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Roark.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roark 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 Roark

The surname Roark originates from England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "ra" meaning roe deer and "acc" meaning oak tree, indicating that the earliest bearers of the name may have lived near an oak forest or woodland area populated by roe deer.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Roark can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1195, which mentions a Robert Rorarc. The name also appears in various forms in other medieval records, such as Roric, Rorik, and Rorke.

In the 13th century, the name was often associated with places like Roaresdale in Lancashire and Roarecliffe in Yorkshire, reflecting the connection between the surname and geographic locations. Some early bearers of the name include Simon de Rouargh, recorded in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1285, and William Rourke, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1327.

During the Middle Ages, the Roark family held lands and properties in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cambridgeshire. One notable figure was Sir John Roark, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346.

In the 16th century, the surname spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Ireland, where it was anglicized from the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Ruairc." Notable individuals from this period include Brian Roark, an Irish chieftain and leader of the Roark clan in County Leitrim, who was involved in the Nine Years' War against English rule in the late 16th century.

Over the centuries, the Roark surname has been borne by several notable individuals, including the English poet and dramatist John Roark (1576-1644), the Scottish philosopher Thomas Roark (1703-1768), and the American architect and designer John Roark (1838-1917), known for his work on the Bradbury Building in Los Angeles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roark

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

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 Roark 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 Roark 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 Roark was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Roark, 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!