2000
#11,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,612
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Rohan
Derived from the French town of Rohan, likely referring to someone from that place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,480 Americans carry the last name Rohan. That puts it at #10,121 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,493 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rohan 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 Rohan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 98,493
Census rank
#10,121
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,035 bearers of the surname Rohan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10121st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohan, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Black (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rohan
The surname Rohan is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the region of Brittany. It is derived from the Breton word "roc'han," meaning "little rock" or "small cliff." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or was associated with a rocky or cliff-like area.
The name Rohan can be traced back to the 11th century, when it first appeared in historical records. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions a Rohan family holding lands in various parts of the country.
In the Middle Ages, the House of Rohan was a prominent noble family in Brittany. Members of this family held titles such as Duke of Rohan and Prince of Soubise. Notable figures from this family include Henri II, Duke of Rohan (1579-1638), a skilled military leader and Huguenot statesman, and his son Benjamin de Rohan (1583-1642), who served as a field marshal in the French army.
Another significant figure with the surname Rohan was Armand Gaston Maximilien de Rohan (1674-1749), a French cardinal and ambassador to the Holy See. He was involved in a notorious scandal known as the "Affair of the Diamond Necklace," which contributed to the downfall of the French monarchy.
In literature, the name Rohan was immortalized by J.R.R. Tolkien in his celebrated work "The Lord of the Rings." Rohan was the name of a fictional kingdom in Middle-earth, known for its skilled horsemen and warriors. This literary reference has further popularized the name in modern times.
Other notable individuals with the surname Rohan include:
1. Henri, Duke of Rohan (1579-1638), a prominent Huguenot leader and military commander during the French Wars of Religion.
2. Benjamin de Rohan (1583-1642), a French nobleman and military leader who served as a field marshal in the French army.
3. Armand Gaston Maximilien de Rohan (1674-1749), a French cardinal and ambassador to the Holy See, known for his involvement in the "Affair of the Diamond Necklace" scandal.
4. Louis René Édouard, Prince of Rohan-Guéméné (1734-1803), a French nobleman and courtier during the reign of Louis XVI.
5. Alexis Paul Henri, Duke of Rohan-Chabot (1786-1848), a French peer and diplomat who served as the Ambassador to the Holy See.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rohan
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohan, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Black (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rohan 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 Rohan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 2,431
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 220
- Black or African American5.3% · 161
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 114
- Two or more races3.2% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rohan
Rohan 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
#10,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,131
+519 bearers (+19.9%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 849 places
2020
#10,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,035
-96 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 171 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,141 | 2,612 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,292 | 3,131 | 1.06 | +519 bearers (+19.9%) | Up 849 places |
| 2020 | #10,121 | 3,035 | 1.02 | -96 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 171 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 Rohan 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 | #10,292 | #10,121 | 1.7% |
| Count | 3,131 | 3,035 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 1.02 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rohan bearers went from 3,131 to 3,035 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 171 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,292 to #10,121.
FAQ
Rohan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rohan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,480 living Americans carry the surname Rohan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,493 residents.
How common is Rohan?
Rohan ranks #10,121 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,035 people with the surname Rohan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,480), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rohan.
Has Rohan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rohan went from 3,131 recorded bearers to 3,035. That is a decrease of 96 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,292 to #10,121.
What does the Census say about the background of Rohan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohan, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Black (5.3%). 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 Rohan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (2,431 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rohan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Hispanic (7.2%), Black (5.3%). 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 Rohan (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 Rohan mean?
Derived from the French town of Rohan, likely referring to someone from that place. 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 Rohan (1.02 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 Rohan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.