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

Roca, 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 Roca surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roca in America

Roca is the 8611th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roca surname appeared 3,819 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Roca.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roca 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 Roca

The surname ROCA is of Catalan origin, originating from the region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. The name is derived from the Catalan word "roca," meaning rock or rocky area. It likely emerged as a surname during the medieval period, referring to someone who lived near a prominent rock formation or in a particularly rocky area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname ROCA can be found in the "Llibre de Repartiment de València," a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of properties and lands in the region of Valencia after the Christian conquest. This suggests that individuals bearing the surname ROCA were present in this area during that time.

In the 14th century, a notable figure named Pere Roca was a prominent Catalan poet and writer, known for his work "Libre de Contemplació." This early literary reference demonstrates the presence of the surname in Catalonia during that period.

The surname ROCA has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Miquel Roca i Junyent (1932-2022), a Spanish lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Public Works and Urban Planning in Spain from 1981 to 1982.

Another prominent bearer of the surname was Josep Roca i Batlle (1836-1917), a Catalan architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Barcelona, including the Casa Roca and the Casa Padellàs.

In the realm of art, Joaquim Roca i Cornet (1836-1898) was a renowned Catalan painter and sculptor, known for his works depicting scenes from Catalan rural life and traditions.

Moving to the New World, Juan de la Roca (c. 1550-1602) was a Spanish explorer and navigator who played a significant role in the Spanish exploration and colonization of the Pacific Northwest region of present-day Canada and the United States.

These examples illustrate the historical presence and significance of the surname ROCA across various fields, from literature and politics to architecture, art, and exploration, with roots tracing back to the medieval period in the Catalan region of Spain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roca

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Roca, please contact us.

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