2000
#2,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,073
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.22
Uncommon Last name
Roark
A variant of the Irish surname O'Rourke, meaning "descendant of Ruarc" (a personal name meaning "great king").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,585 Americans carry the last name Roark. That puts it at #2,596 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roark 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
16K
1 in 21,993
Census rank
#2,596
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,591 bearers of the surname Roark in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2596th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roark, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roark
Among Census respondents with the surname Roark, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Roark 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 Roark surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 12,391
- Two or more races4.2% · 566
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 311
- Black or African American1.4% · 190
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roark
Roark 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
#2,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,509
+436 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 4.92
Rank movement Down 134 places
2020
#2,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,591
-918 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 4.55
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,355 | 14,073 | 5.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,489 | 14,509 | 4.92 | +436 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 134 places |
| 2020 | #2,596 | 13,591 | 4.55 | -918 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 107 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 Roark 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 | #2,489 | #2,596 | -4.3% |
| Count | 14,509 | 13,591 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.92 | 4.55 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roark bearers went from 14,509 to 13,591 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,489 to #2,596.
FAQ
Roark surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roark?
Name Census estimates that about 15,585 living Americans carry the surname Roark. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,993 residents.
How common is Roark?
Roark ranks #2,596 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,591 people with the surname Roark. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,585), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Roark.
Has Roark become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roark went from 14,509 recorded bearers to 13,591. That is a decrease of 918 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,489 to #2,596.
What does the Census say about the background of Roark?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roark, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Roark in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (12,391 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roark appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Roark (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 Roark mean?
A variant of the Irish surname O'Rourke, meaning "descendant of Ruarc" (a personal name meaning "great king"). 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 Roark (4.55 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 Roark?
If you just want to know how common the surname Roark is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.