2000
#8,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,752
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.39
Rare Last name
Rochester
A locational surname referring to a person from Rochester, a city in Kent, England, or other places named Rochester.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,468 Americans carry the last name Rochester. That puts it at #8,131 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,713 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rochester 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rochester with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,713
Census rank
#8,131
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,896 bearers of the surname Rochester in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8131st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rochester, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.0%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rochester
The surname Rochester has its origins in England, where it is derived from the place name Rochester, a city in Kent. The name Rochester itself is believed to come from the Old English words "hróc" meaning "brook" and "ceaster" meaning "Roman town or camp," referring to the city's location on the River Medway.
Rochester is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, which records the city as "Rovecestre" and "Rovecestre." This indicates that the surname was likely in use by the late 11th century or shortly after, as surnames derived from place names became more common during this period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rochester is in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1195, which mention a Robertus de Rovecestre. This suggests that the surname had already been adopted by some families by the late 12th century.
Notable historical figures with the surname Rochester include John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1647-1680), an English poet and courtier known for his satirical and libertine writings. Another is Nathaniel Rochester (1752-1831), an American settler and founder of the city of Rochester, New York.
In the 16th century, the surname was sometimes spelled as "Rowchester" or "Rouchester," reflecting the various ways the place name was pronounced and written over time. The 17th century saw the rise of the "Rochester" spelling, which became the predominant form.
Other noteworthy individuals with the surname Rochester include Thomas Rochester (1588-1646), an English clergyman and writer, and John Rochester (1647-1696), an English Baptist minister and author.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rochester
Among Census respondents with the surname Rochester, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.0%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rochester 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 Rochester surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.0% · 2,376
- Black or African American27.9% · 1,087
- Two or more races5.3% · 205
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 184
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rochester
Rochester 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
#8,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,024
+272 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 101 places
2020
#8,131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,896
-128 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Up 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,137 | 3,752 | 1.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,238 | 4,024 | 1.36 | +272 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 101 places |
| 2020 | #8,131 | 3,896 | 1.30 | -128 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 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 Rochester 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 | #8,238 | #8,131 | 1.3% |
| Count | 4,024 | 3,896 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.30 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rochester bearers went from 4,024 to 3,896 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,238 to #8,131.
FAQ
Rochester surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rochester?
Name Census estimates that about 4,468 living Americans carry the surname Rochester. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,713 residents.
How common is Rochester?
Rochester ranks #8,131 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,896 people with the surname Rochester. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,468), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rochester.
Has Rochester become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rochester went from 4,024 recorded bearers to 3,896. That is a decrease of 128 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,238 to #8,131.
What does the Census say about the background of Rochester?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rochester, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.0%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Rochester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.0% (2,376 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rochester appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.0%), Black (27.9%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Rochester (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 Rochester mean?
A locational surname referring to a person from Rochester, a city in Kent, England, or other places named Rochester. 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 Rochester (1.30 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 Rochester?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Rochester on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.