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

Roh, 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 Roh surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roh in America

Roh is the 15871st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roh surname appeared 1,833 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 Roh.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roh 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 Roh

The surname Roh originated in Germany, with its earliest known occurrences dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "ror," which means "reed" or "cane." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify people who lived near reed beds or worked with reeds in some capacity.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Roh can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany, which mentions a "Johannes Roh" in the year 1288. Additionally, the name appears in various other medieval records from German-speaking regions, such as the "Liber Censualis" of the Archdiocese of Mainz, which lists a "Henricus Roh" in 1457.

In the 16th century, the name Roh was associated with the town of Rohr, located in the present-day German state of Bavaria. It is possible that some individuals with the surname Roh may have taken their name from this place, or that the place itself was named after an early settler with the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Roh throughout history include Johannes Roh (c. 1360-1437), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on the spiritual life and mysticism. Another prominent figure was Philipp Roh (1594-1667), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.

In the 18th century, Johann Georg Roh (1737-1808) was a German composer and organist known for his church music and organ works. Additionally, Johann Friedrich Roh (1777-1848) was a German jurist and legal scholar who played a crucial role in the development of German civil law.

The 19th century saw the birth of Heinrich Roh (1819-1892), a German businessman and industrialist who founded the Roh & Co. company, which became a leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery and equipment.

While the surname Roh has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and various historical events. However, the core meaning and origins of the name remain closely tied to its German heritage and the linguistic roots that gave rise to it centuries ago.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roh

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

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 Roh 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 Roh 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 Roh was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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