2000
#12,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,335
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Roessler
Derived from the German word for a small horse or steed, likely referring to a horse breeder or keeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,438 Americans carry the last name Roessler. That puts it at #13,648 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,588 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roessler 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
2.4K
1 in 140,588
Census rank
#13,648
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,126 bearers of the surname Roessler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13648th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roessler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roessler
The surname Roessler is of German origin, derived from the occupational name "Rössler," which referred to a person who worked with horses or was a horse breeder. The name is believed to have emerged around the 13th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the southern and central areas.
The name Roessler is a variation of the German word "Ross," meaning horse, and the suffix "-ler," which indicates a person associated with a particular trade or occupation. This naming convention was common during the Middle Ages when surnames were often derived from one's profession or place of residence.
In the 14th century, the name Roessler appeared in several historical records, including the Urkundenbuch des Klosters Eberbach, a collection of documents from the Eberbach Monastery in Hesse, Germany. The name was also found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a compilation of diplomatic records from the former Principality of Anhalt.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Roessler dates back to 1387 when a certain Johann Roessler was mentioned in the Salbuch von St. Pölten, a tax register from the town of St. Pölten in Lower Austria.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Roessler, including:
1. Johann Christian Roessler (1738-1786), a German painter and engraver known for his landscape paintings and etchings.
2. Emil Roessler (1841-1903), a German-American engineer and inventor who contributed to the development of early electrical systems and worked for companies like Western Union and Edison Electric Light Company.
3. Arthur Roessler (1877-1958), an American writer, journalist, and art critic who played a significant role in promoting modern art in Los Angeles.
4. Carl Roessler (1852-1928), a German-American brewer and businessman who founded the Roessler Brewing Company in San Francisco.
5. Friedrich Roessler (1835-1908), a German architect known for his ecclesiastical and residential buildings in the Romanesque Revival style.
While the name Roessler is primarily associated with German-speaking regions, it has also been found in various spellings and variations in other parts of Europe and beyond, reflecting the migration patterns of families bearing this surname over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roessler
Among Census respondents with the surname Roessler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Roessler 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 Roessler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 1,943
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 78
- Two or more races3.6% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roessler
Roessler 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
#12,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,369
+34 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 732 places
2020
#13,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,126
-243 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 683 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,233 | 2,335 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,965 | 2,369 | 0.80 | +34 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 732 places |
| 2020 | #13,648 | 2,126 | 0.71 | -243 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 683 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 Roessler 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 | #12,965 | #13,648 | -5.3% |
| Count | 2,369 | 2,126 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.71 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roessler bearers went from 2,369 to 2,126 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 683 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,965 to #13,648.
FAQ
Roessler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roessler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,438 living Americans carry the surname Roessler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,588 residents.
How common is Roessler?
Roessler ranks #13,648 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,126 people with the surname Roessler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,438), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Roessler.
Has Roessler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roessler went from 2,369 recorded bearers to 2,126. That is a decrease of 243 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,965 to #13,648.
What does the Census say about the background of Roessler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roessler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Roessler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (1,943 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roessler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Roessler (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 Roessler mean?
Derived from the German word for a small horse or steed, likely referring to a horse breeder or keeper. 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 Roessler (0.71 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 Roessler?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Roessler, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.