2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Rohall
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Rohall. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rohall 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Rohall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohall, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rohall
The surname Rohall originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "roh," meaning raw or rough, and "alle," meaning meadow or clearing. This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a rough or uncultivated area.
One of the earliest known references to the name Rohall appears in the Kirchenbuch, a German church record from the town of Rüdesheim am Rhein, dated 1572. This record mentions a person named Hanns Rohall, who was likely one of the first to bear this surname.
In the 17th century, the name Rohall can be found in various historical documents from the Palatinate region of Germany. For instance, a record from 1643 mentions a Johann Rohall, a farmer from the village of Neuleiningen.
As the surname spread throughout Germany and beyond, it underwent minor spelling variations, such as Rohal, Rohahl, and Rohhal. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and phonetic adaptations.
One notable figure with the surname Rohall was Johann Christoph Rohall (1689-1742), a German philosopher and mathematician. He was a professor at the University of Giessen and made significant contributions to the field of metaphysics.
Another individual of note was Johann Jakob Rohall (1737-1804), a German composer and organist who served as the court organist in Mannheim. His compositions, primarily for the organ, were highly regarded during his time.
In the 19th century, the name Rohall appeared in records from various German-speaking regions, including Austria and Switzerland. For example, a document from 1857 mentions a Friedrich Rohall, a clockmaker from the town of Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
The surname Rohall also found its way to other parts of Europe and beyond, likely through immigration. One such individual was Johann Georg Rohall (1809-1892), a German-American farmer and landowner who settled in Texas in the mid-19th century.
Another notable figure was Karl Rohall (1874-1951), an Austrian architect who designed several notable buildings in Vienna, including the Volksoper Wien (Vienna People's Opera House).
Throughout its history, the surname Rohall has maintained a presence, albeit relatively uncommon, in various parts of Europe and beyond. While not a widely known name, it carries a rich heritage rooted in the German language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rohall
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohall, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rohall 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 Rohall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 109
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rohall
Rohall 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
-7 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,924 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-13 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,741 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 12,924 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 13,741 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 Rohall 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 | #129,047 | #142,788 | -10.6% |
| Count | 132 | 119 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rohall bearers went from 132 to 119 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 13,741 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #142,788.
FAQ
Rohall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rohall?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Rohall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Rohall?
Rohall ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Rohall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Rohall.
Has Rohall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rohall went from 132 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 13 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Rohall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohall, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Rohall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rohall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Black (1.7%). 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 Rohall (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 Rohall mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name. 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 Rohall (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 many Americans have the surname Rohall?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.