2000
#61
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 294,403
First available Census row
Per 100,000 109.13
Common Last name
Rogers
An English surname derived from the given name Roger, meaning "famous spear" or "renowned warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 331,681 Americans carry the last name Rogers. That puts it at #67 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 96.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,033 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rogers 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 Rogers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
332K
1 in 1,033
Census rank
#67
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
96.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
289K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 289,242 bearers of the surname Rogers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 96.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 67th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rogers, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rogers
The surname Rogers originated in England, with the first records of the name dating back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English pre-7th century personal name Rodge, itself originating from the Germanic name Rodger, meaning "famous with the spear" or "famous warrior".
The Rogers surname is found in various early English records, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, where a Richard Roger is listed. It is also mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1202, recording a William Roger.
One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Sir John Rogers, a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in 1555 during the reign of Queen Mary I. He is remembered for his efforts in translating the Bible into English.
In the late 16th century, the famous English philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon (1561-1626) had a close friend and confidant named John Rogers, who assisted him in his literary and scientific endeavors.
During the Colonial era in America, the Rogers surname was well-represented among the early settlers. One notable figure was Reverend John Rogers (1630-1684), who was a prominent Puritan minister and co-founder of Harvard College.
Another famous individual with this surname was Samuel Rogers (1763-1855), an English poet and banker who was renowned for his works such as "The Pleasures of Memory" and "Human Life".
In the 19th century, John Rogers (1829-1904) was an American sculptor and artist who gained fame for his popular genre sculptures depicting everyday life scenes.
The Rogers surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Rogers Green in Suffolk, Rogershall in Essex, and Rogersfield in Buckinghamshire, reflecting the widespread distribution of the name across the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rogers
Among Census respondents with the surname Rogers, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rogers 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 Rogers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.3% · 209,258
- Black or African American18.0% · 52,198
- Two or more races4.5% · 12,889
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 10,710
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2,184
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2,003
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rogers
Rogers 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
#66
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 302,261
+7,858 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 102.47
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#67
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 289,242
-13,019 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 96.77
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #61 | 294,403 | 109.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #66 | 302,261 | 102.47 | +7,858 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #67 | 289,242 | 96.77 | -13,019 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 1 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 Rogers 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 | #66 | #67 | -1.5% |
| Count | 302,261 | 289,242 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 102.47 | 96.77 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rogers bearers went from 302,261 to 289,242 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #66 to #67.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rogers
FAQ
Rogers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rogers?
Name Census estimates that about 331,681 living Americans carry the surname Rogers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,033 residents.
How common is Rogers?
Rogers ranks #67 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 96.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 97 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 289,242 people with the surname Rogers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (331,681), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 96.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 96.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 97 of them to have the surname Rogers.
Has Rogers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rogers went from 302,261 recorded bearers to 289,242. That is a decrease of 13,019 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #66 to #67.
What does the Census say about the background of Rogers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rogers, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Rogers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.3% (209,258 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rogers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.3%), Black (18.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Rogers (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 Rogers mean?
An English surname derived from the given name Roger, meaning "famous spear" or "renowned warrior." 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 Rogers (96.77 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 Rogers?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.