2000
#24,146
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 974
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Very Rare Last name
Rogala
Polish surname referring to someone who baked a crescent-shaped bread roll or pastry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 947 Americans carry the last name Rogala. That puts it at #30,311 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 361,937 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rogala 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rogala with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
947
1 in 361,937
Census rank
#30,311
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
826
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 826 bearers of the surname Rogala in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30311th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rogala, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rogala
The surname Rogala is of Polish origin, and can be traced back to the early 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Polish word "roga," meaning "horn" or "crescent," possibly referring to someone who lived near a horn-shaped bend in a river or a crescent-shaped landform.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a 1412 document from the town of Krakow, where a certain "Jan Rogala" is mentioned as a landowner. In the 16th century, the name was also found in the village of Rogala, located in the Opole region of southern Poland.
The Rogala family played a notable role in the history of Poland, with several members achieving prominence in various fields. One of the earliest known figures was Marcin Rogala (1539-1608), a Catholic priest and theologian who served as the rector of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow.
Another notable individual was Jerzy Rogala (1701-1772), a Polish military commander who fought in the War of the Polish Succession and later served as a general in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth army. He played a crucial role in several battles against the Russian and Prussian forces.
In the 19th century, Józef Rogala (1818-1896) was a renowned Polish painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes. His works can be found in various museums and galleries across Poland.
During the early 20th century, Stanisław Rogala (1886-1942) was a Polish engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of aviation technology. He was one of the pioneers of aircraft design in Poland and held several patents for his innovative ideas.
More recently, Józef Rogala (1945-2018) was a prominent Polish politician and lawyer. He served as a member of the Sejm (the lower house of the Polish parliament) and played an active role in the country's transition to democracy after the fall of communism.
The surname Rogala continues to be widely used in Poland today, with many variations in spelling, such as Rogalla, Rogale, and Rogalewicz. While its origins may be obscure, the name has left an indelible mark on Polish history and culture over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rogala
Among Census respondents with the surname Rogala, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rogala 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 Rogala surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 777
- Two or more races2.9% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rogala
Rogala 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
#26,143
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 936
-38 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Down 1,997 places
2020
#30,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 826
-110 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 4,168 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,146 | 974 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,143 | 936 | 0.32 | -38 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 1,997 places |
| 2020 | #30,311 | 826 | 0.28 | -110 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 4,168 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 Rogala 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 | #26,143 | #30,311 | -15.9% |
| Count | 936 | 826 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.32 | 0.28 | -13.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rogala bearers went from 936 to 826 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 4,168 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,143 to #30,311.
FAQ
Rogala surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rogala?
Name Census estimates that about 947 living Americans carry the surname Rogala. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 361,937 residents.
How common is Rogala?
Rogala ranks #30,311 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.28 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 826 people with the surname Rogala. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (947), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.28 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 Rogala.
Has Rogala become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rogala went from 936 recorded bearers to 826. That is a decrease of 110 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #26,143 to #30,311.
What does the Census say about the background of Rogala?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rogala, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) 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 Rogala in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (777 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rogala appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%), 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 Rogala (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 Rogala mean?
Polish surname referring to someone who baked a crescent-shaped bread roll or pastry. 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 Rogala (0.28 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 surname Rogala?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.