2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Roenicke
A German surname derived from a place name referring to an area overgrown with reeds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 175 Americans carry the last name Roenicke. That puts it at #119,572 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,958,596 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roenicke 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
175
1 in 1,958,596
Census rank
#119,572
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
153
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 153 bearers of the surname Roenicke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 119572nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roenicke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roenicke
The surname Roenicke has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Rönchen," which means "small brook" or "stream," suggesting that the original bearers of this name may have lived near a small watercourse.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Roenicke surname can be found in the town records of Dortmund, a city in the Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, dating back to the late 1400s. The name was likely first adopted by residents of this area, and it gradually spread to other parts of Germany over time.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, variations of the name, such as "Rönnecke," "Rönecke," and "Röneke," appeared in various German records, reflecting the regional spelling variations common during that period. Historical documents from this time also indicate that the name was associated with certain occupations, such as millers or water-related trades, further reinforcing its connection to small streams or brooks.
One notable figure bearing this surname was Johann Roenicke, a German composer and organist who lived from 1661 to 1727. He was born in Weissenfels, Saxony, and served as the court organist and Kapellmeister in the duchy of Weissenfels-Querfurt.
Another individual of historical significance was Friedrich Roenicke, a German philologist and educator born in 1804 in Schöneberg, near Berlin. He contributed significantly to the study of classical languages and authored several works on Greek and Latin literature.
In the 19th century, the Roenicke surname began to appear in records outside of Germany, as families emigrated to other parts of Europe and North America. One such example is Heinrich Roenicke, a German-American businessman and politician who lived from 1836 to 1907. He was born in Saxony and later settled in Wisconsin, where he became involved in local politics and served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
Another notable bearer of this surname was Theodor Roenicke, a German-American architect who lived from 1847 to 1920. He was born in Saxony and later immigrated to the United States, where he designed several notable buildings, including the Old Colony Building in Chicago and the Columbian Exposition in 1893.
While the surname Roenicke is not among the most common surnames globally, it has a rich history rooted in the German language and culture, with bearers making significant contributions in various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roenicke
Among Census respondents with the surname Roenicke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Roenicke 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 Roenicke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 142
- Two or more races3.9% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roenicke
Roenicke 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
#120,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
+4 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,698 places
2020
#119,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
+9 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 615 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #120,187 | 144 | 0.05 | +4 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 4,698 places |
| 2020 | #119,572 | 153 | 0.05 | +9 bearers (+6.3%) | Up 615 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 Roenicke 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 | #120,187 | #119,572 | 0.5% |
| Count | 144 | 153 | 6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roenicke bearers went from 144 to 153 (+6.3% change). The surname moved up 615 positions in the national ranking, going from #120,187 to #119,572.
FAQ
Roenicke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roenicke?
Name Census estimates that about 175 living Americans carry the surname Roenicke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,958,596 residents.
How common is Roenicke?
Roenicke ranks #119,572 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 153 people with the surname Roenicke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (175), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Roenicke.
Has Roenicke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roenicke went from 144 recorded bearers to 153. That is an increase of 9 (+6.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #120,187 to #119,572.
What does the Census say about the background of Roenicke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roenicke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Roenicke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (142 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roenicke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Roenicke (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 Roenicke mean?
A German surname derived from a place name referring to an area overgrown with reeds. 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 Roenicke (0.05 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 Americans have the surname Roenicke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.