2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Roban
A surname derived from the Spanish verb "robar," meaning to rob or steal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Roban. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roban 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Roban in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roban, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roban
The surname Roban originated in France, specifically in the region of Normandy, during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "roban," which means "ribbon" or "strip of cloth." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an occupation or trade related to the production or sale of ribbons or fabric.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Roban can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Robayn" and "Robain," indicating its Norman origins and the influence of the French language on English surnames during that time.
In the 13th century, the name Roban was associated with several notable individuals. One such person was Pierre Roban, a French nobleman and landowner born in 1237 in the village of Roban, near Caen. Another prominent figure was Jehan Roban, a merchant and tradesman from Rouen, who was mentioned in records from 1289 for his successful cloth and fabric business.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Roban surname continued to spread across France and other parts of Europe. Notably, in 1412, a man named Jacques Roban was recorded as a resident of the town of Roban-sur-Seine, which may have been named after an early bearer of the surname or vice versa.
In the 16th century, the Roban family gained prominence in the French nobility. One of the most famous members was René de Rohan (1516-1586), a powerful French nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the French Wars of Religion. Another notable figure was Henri de Rohan (1579-1638), a Huguenot leader and author who wrote extensively about the religious conflicts of his time.
As the Roban surname spread across Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world through migration and colonization. In the 18th century, Jean-Baptiste Roban (1731-1805), a French explorer and navigator, made significant contributions to the exploration of the Pacific Ocean and the mapping of various islands and coastlines.
Throughout its history, the Roban surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, clergy, merchants, artists, and explorers. While its origins can be traced back to medieval France and the ribbon-making trade, the name has since evolved to represent a diverse range of cultural and historical backgrounds.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roban
Among Census respondents with the surname Roban, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Roban 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 Roban surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.7% · 70
- Black or African American21.0% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.6% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roban
Roban appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 6,723 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 Roban 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 | #159,712 | #152,989 | 4.2% |
| Count | 101 | 105 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roban bearers went from 101 to 105 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 6,723 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #152,989.
FAQ
Roban surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roban?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Roban. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Roban?
Roban ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Roban. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Roban.
Has Roban become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roban went from 101 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 4 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Roban?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roban, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%). 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 Roban in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.7% (70 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roban appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.7%), Black (21.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%). 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 Roban (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 Roban mean?
A surname derived from the Spanish verb "robar," meaning to rob or steal. 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 Roban (0.04 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 many people have the surname Roban?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.