Find out how popular the last name Roger is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Roger.

Roger, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Roger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roger in America

Roger is the 8176th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roger surname appeared 4,054 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Roger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roger to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Roger

The surname Roger originated in England, with its roots dating back to the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is derived from the Old French personal name "Roger," which is composed of the Germanic elements "hrod" (meaning "renown") and "ger" (meaning "spear").

In medieval times, the Roger surname was particularly prevalent in the county of Shropshire, England, where many early bearers of the name were landowners and nobles. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a Roger de Bully is listed as a landowner in Shropshire.

Over the centuries, the Roger surname has been subject to various spelling variations, including Rodger, Rogger, and Rager. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the quirks of individual scribes who recorded the name in official documents.

One of the most notable early bearers of the Roger surname was Roger de Mortimer, a powerful English nobleman who played a significant role in the overthrow of King Edward II in the 14th century. Born around 1286, Roger de Mortimer became the de facto ruler of England during the minority of Edward III, before being executed for treason in 1330.

In the 15th century, Sir John Roger was a prominent English soldier who served in the Wars of the Roses. He fought alongside the Yorkist forces and was rewarded with lands in Somersetshire after the victory of Edward IV.

During the Tudor period, another notable figure was John Rogers, a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in 1555 for his religious beliefs. Rogers, who was born around 1500, played a key role in translating the Bible into English under the patronage of Thomas Cromwell.

In the 17th century, Samuel Rogers, born in 1763, was an influential English poet and banker. His works, including the narrative poem "The Pleasures of Memory," earned him widespread acclaim and a place among the leading literary figures of his time.

Throughout history, the Roger surname has been associated with various place names, such as Rogers Croft in Northamptonshire and Roger's Green in Gloucestershire, reflecting the influence and landholdings of prominent families bearing the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roger

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Roger.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Roger was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Roger has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Roger was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Roger, please contact us.

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