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

Rockhill, 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 Rockhill surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rockhill in America

Rockhill is the 21228th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rockhill surname appeared 1,236 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rockhill.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rockhill 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 Rockhill

The surname Rockhill is of English origin and derives from a topographic name referring to a person who lived near a rocky hill or outcropping. It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, possibly as early as the 12th or 13th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Dorset from 1195, which mentions a John de Rochulle. This suggests that the name was present in southwestern England during this time and may have evolved from an earlier place name or descriptive term.

In the 13th century, the surname appears in various historical records with slight variations in spelling, such as Rockhull, Rochull, and Rokehill. These alternative spellings are indicative of the fluidity of surnames during this period, as they were often adapted based on regional dialects and scribal interpretations.

One notable early bearer of the name was Sir Adam de Rockhill, a knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence alongside King Edward I of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. He is mentioned in several chronicles and records from that time period.

In the 16th century, the name Rockhill is documented in various parish records across England, particularly in counties like Dorset, Somerset, and Devon, suggesting a concentration of the surname in the southwestern regions. One example is William Rockhill, who was baptized in the parish of Beaminster, Dorset, in 1568.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Thomas Rockhill, a merchant and explorer who was born in London in 1627. He embarked on several voyages to the East Indies and documented his travels in a published account titled "A Voyage to the East Indies" in 1663.

During the 17th century, the name Rockhill also appears in various legal documents and court records, indicating the presence of individuals bearing this surname in various trades and professions across England.

In the 18th century, the Rockhill surname is recorded in genealogical records and parish registers throughout England, with notable individuals such as John Rockhill (1712-1779), a landowner and magistrate in Gloucestershire, and Samuel Rockhill (1738-1821), a Baptist minister and author from Berkshire.

As the centuries progressed, the Rockhill surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with some individuals migrating to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to other countries around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rockhill

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

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

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

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