2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Roeland
A surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "famous land".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Roeland. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roeland 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Roeland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roeland, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roeland
The surname Roeland is of Dutch origin, originating in the Low Countries region during the medieval period. It is derived from the Germanic given name Rodolandt or Rouland, which is a compound name formed from the elements "hrod" meaning "renown" and "land" meaning "land" or "territory."
This surname first appeared in historical records in the 12th century, with various spellings such as Rouland, Rolant, and Roelant. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Rijmkroniek van Holland, a 13th-century Dutch chronicle, where it mentions a knight named Roeland van Putten.
In the 14th century, the Roeland surname was associated with several prominent individuals. Jan Roeland, a renowned scholar and theologian from the city of Utrecht, was born in 1325 and served as the rector of the University of Paris. Another notable bearer of the name was Dirk Roeland, a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of Leiden, who lived during the late 1300s.
The 16th century saw the rise of the Roeland family in the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of Holland and Utrecht. One of the most influential members of this lineage was Pieter Roeland (1506-1572), a prominent Dutch lawyer and statesman who played a crucial role in the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule.
During the 17th century, the Roeland surname gained recognition in the field of art and literature. Jacobus Roeland (1601-1678) was a celebrated Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscape and genre paintings. Additionally, Cornelis Roeland (1626-1701) was a respected poet and playwright from Amsterdam, whose works were widely acclaimed during his time.
In the 18th century, the Roeland family had a strong presence in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). Hendrik Roeland (1718-1794) was a prominent Dutch colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1775 to 1777.
Throughout its history, the Roeland surname has been associated with various professions, including scholars, merchants, artists, and government officials. While its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in the Low Countries, the name has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with variations in spelling and pronunciation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roeland
Among Census respondents with the surname Roeland, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Roeland 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 Roeland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 99
- Black or African American4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roeland
Roeland 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,375 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-10 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,361 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 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 3,375 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 10,361 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 Roeland 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 | #138,304 | #148,665 | -7.5% |
| Count | 121 | 111 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roeland bearers went from 121 to 111 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 10,361 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #148,665.
FAQ
Roeland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roeland?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Roeland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Roeland?
Roeland ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Roeland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Roeland.
Has Roeland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roeland went from 121 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Roeland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roeland, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Hispanic (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 Roeland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roeland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Black (4.5%), Hispanic (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 Roeland (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 Roeland mean?
A surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "famous land". 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 Roeland (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 Roeland?
Want to know how many people have the last name Roeland? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.