2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Roethemeyer
An occupational surname derived from the German words "rot" (red) and "mäher" (mower), likely referring to someone who mowed red plants or grasses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Roethemeyer. 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 Roethemeyer 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 Roethemeyer 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 Roethemeyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roethemeyer
The surname Roethemeyer is of German origin, with roots that can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony, specifically in the town of Rothemuhle, which translates to "red mill" in English. The name itself is a combination of the German words "roth" (red) and "muhl" (mill), with the addition of the German surname suffix "-er" denoting an occupational name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Roethemeyer surname can be found in the parish records of Rothemuhle, where a Johannes Roethemeyer was listed as a resident in 1598. This suggests that the name may have been derived from an ancestor who worked at or owned a red-colored mill in the area.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various records across Saxony and neighboring regions, indicating that the Roethemeyers had begun to disperse and establish themselves in different locations. Notable individuals from this period include Hans Roethemeyer (1621-1689), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Leipzig.
As the centuries progressed, the Roethemeyer surname continued to spread throughout German-speaking lands, with variations in spelling emerging, such as Rothmeyer, Roetmeyer, and Rötemeyer. In the 19th century, a significant number of Roethemeyers immigrated to the United States, seeking new opportunities and escaping political turmoil in Europe.
Among the notable Roethemeyers in more recent history are Wilhelm Roethemeyer (1807-1879), a respected theologian and author from Saxony, and Helene Roethemeyer (1868-1945), a pioneering educator who established several schools for girls in Berlin.
Other individuals of note with the Roethemeyer surname include:
1. Johann Roethemeyer (1732-1801), a prominent clockmaker from Nuremberg, renowned for his intricate and precise timepieces.
2. Friedrich Roethemeyer (1845-1912), a German-American architect who designed numerous buildings in Chicago during the late 19th century.
3. Anna Roethemeyer (1892-1976), a German-born artist and sculptor who gained recognition for her modernist works in the early 20th century.
4. Kurt Roethemeyer (1920-2003), a German-American physicist who made significant contributions to the development of particle accelerators.
5. Ingrid Roethemeyer (born 1949), a German actress and theater director known for her work in both classical and contemporary productions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roethemeyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Roethemeyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Roethemeyer 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 Roethemeyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roethemeyer
Roethemeyer 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,991 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-15 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,802 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 8,991 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 14,802 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 Roethemeyer 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 | #133,863 | #148,665 | -11.1% |
| Count | 126 | 111 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roethemeyer bearers went from 126 to 111 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 14,802 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #148,665.
FAQ
Roethemeyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roethemeyer?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Roethemeyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Roethemeyer?
Roethemeyer 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 Roethemeyer. 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 Roethemeyer.
Has Roethemeyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roethemeyer went from 126 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Roethemeyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roethemeyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Roethemeyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roethemeyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Hispanic (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Roethemeyer (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 Roethemeyer mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German words "rot" (red) and "mäher" (mower), likely referring to someone who mowed red plants or grasses. 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 Roethemeyer (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 common is the surname Roethemeyer?
Want to know how many people are called Roethemeyer? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.