2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rocap
Of Scandinavian origin, perhaps a habitational name for someone living near a rocky promontory.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Rocap. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rocap 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Rocap in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rocap, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rocap
The surname ROCAP has its origins in the Catalan region of Spain, dating back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Catalan words "roca" meaning rock or stone, and "cap" meaning head or chief. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent rocky outcrop or was a local leader in that area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ROCAP surname can be found in a land registry document from the town of Tortosa in 1492, where a certain Pere ROCAP is listed as a landowner. This indicates that the family had already established itself in the region by the late medieval period.
In the 16th century, the ROCAP name appears to have spread to other parts of Spain, as well as to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. A notable figure from this era was Juan ROCAP, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico in the 1520s.
By the 17th century, the ROCAP surname had also made its way to France, where it was sometimes spelled as ROCAPT or ROCAPTE. One prominent individual was Jacques ROCAP, a French military officer who served under King Louis XIV and was awarded the title of Marquis de Montpellier in 1675.
As the centuries passed, the ROCAP name continued to spread across Europe and the Americas. In the 18th century, a German branch of the family emerged, with Johann ROCAP, a noted philosopher and author, born in 1723 in the city of Leipzig.
In the 19th century, a number of ROCAP individuals achieved distinction in various fields. One example is Miguel ROCAP, a Spanish painter and sculptor who was born in 1810 in Barcelona and became known for his depictions of religious subjects.
Another notable figure from this period was Maria ROCAP, an Italian opera singer who performed at some of the most prestigious venues in Europe, including La Scala in Milan, during the latter half of the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rocap
Among Census respondents with the surname Rocap, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rocap 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 Rocap surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 7
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rocap
Rocap 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,211 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,081 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,211 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 6,081 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 Rocap 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 | #141,140 | #147,221 | -4.3% |
| Count | 118 | 113 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rocap bearers went from 118 to 113 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 6,081 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #147,221.
FAQ
Rocap surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rocap?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Rocap. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Rocap?
Rocap ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Rocap. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Rocap.
Has Rocap become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rocap went from 118 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Rocap?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rocap, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Rocap in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rocap appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Hispanic (6.2%), Black (2.7%). 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 Rocap (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 Rocap mean?
Of Scandinavian origin, perhaps a habitational name for someone living near a rocky promontory. 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 Rocap (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 last name Rocap?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Rocap on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.