2000
#6,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,952
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Roebuck
An English occupational surname referring to a male roe deer or someone who hunted them.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,564 Americans carry the last name Roebuck. That puts it at #6,686 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,602 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roebuck 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 Roebuck with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,602
Census rank
#6,686
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,852 bearers of the surname Roebuck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6686th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roebuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roebuck
The surname Roebuck has its roots in England, originating in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words 'ra' meaning a roe deer and 'buc' meaning a male deer, referring to the roe buck or male roe deer. This indicates that the name was likely an occupational surname for someone who kept, hunted, or dealt with roe deer.
The earliest known records of the name Roebuck can be traced back to the 13th century in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire. It was often spelled as 'Robuck' or 'Roebucke' in its early forms. The name is also found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were census records compiled during the reign of King Edward I.
In the 14th century, the surname Roebuck appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1327, where a John Robuck was listed as a taxpayer. The name was also recorded in the Poll Tax records of 1379, which suggests its widespread use across different social classes at the time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Roebuck was Thomas Roebuck, who was born in Yorkshire, England, around 1440. He was a landowner and is mentioned in various legal documents from the 15th century.
Another notable figure was Sir John Roebuck (1638-1718), an English politician and landowner from Hertfordshire. He served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Bodmin and Huntingdonshire, during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
In the 18th century, Benjamin Roebuck (1711-1794) was a renowned metallurgist and inventor from Sheffield, England. He is credited with developing new methods for producing sulfuric acid and improving the production of lead.
John Arthur Roebuck (1801-1879) was a British politician and lawyer from Madras, India. He served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Bath and Sheffield, and was a prominent advocate for various political reforms.
John Roebuck (1718-1794), born in Warwickshire, England, was a renowned physician and inventor. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the modern condensing steam engine, working closely with James Watt.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Roebuck, which has its origins in England and is associated with the roe deer, likely reflecting an occupational connection in its early days.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roebuck
Among Census respondents with the surname Roebuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Roebuck 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 Roebuck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.6% · 3,088
- Black or African American23.4% · 1,137
- Two or more races5.2% · 253
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 244
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roebuck
Roebuck 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
#6,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,100
+148 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 302 places
2020
#6,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,852
-248 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,336 | 4,952 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,638 | 5,100 | 1.73 | +148 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 302 places |
| 2020 | #6,686 | 4,852 | 1.62 | -248 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 48 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 Roebuck 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 | #6,638 | #6,686 | -0.7% |
| Count | 5,100 | 4,852 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.73 | 1.62 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roebuck bearers went from 5,100 to 4,852 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,638 to #6,686.
FAQ
Roebuck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roebuck?
Name Census estimates that about 5,564 living Americans carry the surname Roebuck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,602 residents.
How common is Roebuck?
Roebuck ranks #6,686 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,852 people with the surname Roebuck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,564), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Roebuck.
Has Roebuck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roebuck went from 5,100 recorded bearers to 4,852. That is a decrease of 248 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,638 to #6,686.
What does the Census say about the background of Roebuck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roebuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Roebuck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.6% (3,088 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roebuck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.6%), Black (23.4%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Roebuck (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 Roebuck mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a male roe deer or someone who hunted them. 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 Roebuck (1.62 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 are called Roebuck?
Want to know how common the surname Roebuck is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.