2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Roethe
A locational surname derived from a geographical place name containing the element "red" or "reed".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Roethe. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roethe 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Roethe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roethe, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roethe
The surname Roethe is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony, specifically in the area around the city of Leipzig. The name is derived from the Old German word "rod," meaning "red," and likely referred to someone with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Roethe can be found in the Leipziger Stadtbücher, a collection of municipal records from the 14th century. In these documents, a certain Heinrich Roethe is mentioned as a resident of Leipzig in the year 1378. This suggests that the Roethe family had already established itself in the region by that time.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name Roethe appeared in various other historical records throughout Saxony and neighboring regions. For instance, a Johannes Roethe is mentioned in the Stadtbücher of Erfurt in 1492, while a Hans Roethe is recorded as a resident of Wittenberg in 1521, the same year Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the town's castle church.
In the 17th century, the Roethe name seems to have spread beyond its original geographic confines. A notable figure from this period was Johann Friedrich Roethe (1638-1711), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of Anhalt-Zerbst.
As the centuries progressed, the Roethe name continued to be documented across various parts of Germany. One noteworthy individual was Ernst Roethe (1834-1917), a German philologist and literary historian who made significant contributions to the study of German literature and folklore.
Another prominent bearer of the Roethe surname was Gustav Roethe (1859-1926), a German architect and urban planner who played a key role in the development of several cities, including Berlin and Hamburg. His work had a lasting impact on the architectural landscape of these cities.
Finally, in the 20th century, we find the German physicist and Nobel Laureate, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923), whose pioneering work on X-rays earned him worldwide recognition. Although the spelling of his surname differs slightly from the more common Roethe, it is believed to share the same etymological roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roethe
Among Census respondents with the surname Roethe, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Roethe 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 Roethe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 106
- Black or African American4.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roethe
Roethe 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+10 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 489 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,461 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 489 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,461 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 Roethe 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 | #137,327 | #142,788 | -4.0% |
| Count | 122 | 119 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roethe bearers went from 122 to 119 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,461 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #142,788.
FAQ
Roethe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roethe?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Roethe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Roethe?
Roethe ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Roethe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Roethe.
Has Roethe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roethe went from 122 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Roethe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roethe, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Roethe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roethe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Black (4.2%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Roethe (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 Roethe mean?
A locational surname derived from a geographical place name containing the element "red" or "reed". 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 Roethe (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 are called Roethe?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Roethe, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.