2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Roate
A locational surname derived from a place name, possibly indicating someone from the town of Root in Switzerland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Roate. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roate 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Roate in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roate, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roate
The surname Roate has its roots in England, with its origins dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "rout," meaning a herd or flock of animals. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who tended livestock or lived near a pasture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a person named William le Rouyt is mentioned. The prefix "le" was a common practice at the time, indicating the person's occupation or place of origin.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Rowte, Rowett, and Rouet, reflecting the inconsistencies in spellings during that era. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 mention a John Rowet from Oxfordshire, while the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 record a Richard Rouet from Yorkshire.
Interestingly, the name Roate has been linked to several place names in England. For instance, there is a village called Roate in Shropshire, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
One notable figure bearing the name Roate was Sir Thomas Roate (1490-1551), a member of the English gentry and a Member of Parliament for Herefordshire in the mid-16th century. Another prominent individual was John Roate (1608-1677), a renowned English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Stanford Dingley in Berkshire.
In the 17th century, the surname appears in parish records across various counties, including Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. One such example is William Roate, who was baptized in Cricklade, Wiltshire, in 1632.
Moving into the 18th century, the name Roate continued to be found in various parts of England. One notable figure from this period was Samuel Roate (1722-1799), a successful merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire.
In the 19th century, the surname Roate was relatively widespread across England, with notable individuals including Henry Roate (1801-1878), a respected lawyer and judge from Lincolnshire, and Elizabeth Roate (1845-1921), a prominent philanthropist and social reformer from Somerset.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roate
Among Census respondents with the surname Roate, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Roate 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 Roate surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roate
Roate 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,890 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-16 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,533 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 10,890 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 12,533 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 Roate 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 | #143,149 | #155,682 | -8.8% |
| Count | 116 | 100 | -13.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roate bearers went from 116 to 100 (-13.8% change). The surname moved down 12,533 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #155,682.
FAQ
Roate surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roate?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Roate. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Roate?
Roate ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 100 people with the surname Roate. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Roate.
Has Roate become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roate went from 116 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Roate?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roate, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Roate in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roate appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Roate (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 Roate mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name, possibly indicating someone from the town of Root in Switzerland. 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 Roate (0.03 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 Roate?
Want to know how common the surname Roate is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.