2000
#4,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,561
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.43
Rare Last name
Roeder
A German occupational surname referring to someone who cleared land or a maker of farming implements.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,356 Americans carry the last name Roeder. That puts it at #5,249 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,595 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roeder 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
7.4K
1 in 46,595
Census rank
#5,249
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,415 bearers of the surname Roeder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5249th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roeder, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roeder
The surname ROEDER is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Roeder," which means a person who clears land or a woodcutter. This occupation was prevalent in the forested regions of Germany during the medieval period.
ROEDER is believed to have originated in the southern German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where vast forests were abundant. The name first appeared in historical records as early as the 13th century, with various spellings such as Roeder, Röder, and Roder.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae," a collection of medieval charters and documents from Saxony, dating back to 1285. The record mentions a certain "Hermannus Roeder" from the town of Meissen.
Another notable historical reference is the "Stadtbuch von Lübeck," a medieval chronicle of the city of Lübeck, which lists a "Johannes Roeder" as a respected citizen and landowner in the year 1412.
During the 15th century, the ROEDER name gained prominence in the region of Franconia, where a family of foresters and woodcutters established themselves as wealthy landowners. Johann ROEDER (1435-1502), a renowned forester and landowner from the town of Bamberg, is considered one of the most notable figures from this era.
In the 16th century, the ROEDER name spread across various parts of Germany, with many families settling in cities like Hamburg, Cologne, and Berlin. Hans ROEDER (1520-1587), a prominent merchant and trader from Hamburg, is recorded as one of the wealthiest individuals of his time.
The 17th century saw the emergence of several notable scholars and intellectuals bearing the ROEDER surname. Johann Georg ROEDER (1640-1701), a German theologian and philosopher from Saxony, was a renowned figure in the academic circles of his time.
As the name continued to spread throughout the German-speaking regions, it also found its way into other European countries. In the 19th century, Johann ROEDER (1810-1876), a German-born botanist and explorer, gained fame for his extensive plant collections from South America and the Caribbean.
Throughout history, the ROEDER surname has been associated with various professions, including forestry, agriculture, academia, and commerce. While the name originated from a specific occupation, it has evolved to represent a diverse and widely distributed family lineage across Germany and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roeder
Among Census respondents with the surname Roeder, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Roeder 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 Roeder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 5,925
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 236
- Two or more races2.9% · 187
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
- Black or African American0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roeder
Roeder 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
#5,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,742
+181 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.29
Rank movement Down 266 places
2020
#5,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,415
-327 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Down 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,919 | 6,561 | 2.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,185 | 6,742 | 2.29 | +181 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 266 places |
| 2020 | #5,249 | 6,415 | 2.15 | -327 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 64 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 Roeder 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 | #5,185 | #5,249 | -1.2% |
| Count | 6,742 | 6,415 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.29 | 2.15 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roeder bearers went from 6,742 to 6,415 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,185 to #5,249.
FAQ
Roeder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roeder?
Name Census estimates that about 7,356 living Americans carry the surname Roeder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,595 residents.
How common is Roeder?
Roeder ranks #5,249 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.15 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 6,415 people with the surname Roeder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,356), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.15 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 Roeder.
Has Roeder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roeder went from 6,742 recorded bearers to 6,415. That is a decrease of 327 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,185 to #5,249.
What does the Census say about the background of Roeder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roeder, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Roeder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (5,925 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roeder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Roeder (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 Roeder mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who cleared land or a maker of farming implements. 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 Roeder (2.15 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 Roeder?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Roeder at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.