2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Rohletter
An occupational surname referring to a worker who harvested or processed reeds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Rohletter. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rohletter 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Rohletter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohletter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rohletter
The surname Rohletter is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the Germanic regions of Central Europe, particularly in areas where the dialect of Low German was spoken.
The name Rohletter is thought to be derived from the Middle Low German words "roh" and "letter," which together could be interpreted as "raw leather" or "untanned leather." This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who worked with leather, such as tanners or leatherworkers, during that period.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Rohletter name can be found in the church records of the town of Lübeck, situated in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, dating back to the late 16th century. The name appeared as Rohrletter, which was likely an earlier spelling variation.
In the 17th century, the Rohletter family seemed to have established a presence in the region of Westphalia, located in the present-day state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Historical records from this period indicate that a Johann Rohletter was a prominent merchant and trader operating in the city of Münster during the mid-1600s.
As the centuries progressed, the Rohletter name spread across various parts of Germany and beyond. Notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Hans Rohletter (1865-1934), a German architect renowned for his work on several public buildings and churches in the city of Frankfurt.
2. Friedrich Rohletter (1887-1957), a German painter and lithographer who gained recognition for his landscape and still-life paintings.
3. Elise Rohletter (1892-1976), a German writer and journalist who published several novels and short stories during the early 20th century.
4. Wilhelm Rohletter (1919-2003), a German military officer who served in the Luftwaffe during World War II and later became a respected aviation historian.
5. Günter Rohletter (born 1937), a German classical pianist and music educator who has performed extensively throughout Europe and North America.
While the Rohletter name may have evolved from its humble origins in the leather trade, it has since become associated with various professions and accomplishments across different walks of life, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who bear this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rohletter
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohletter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rohletter 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 Rohletter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 94
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rohletter
Rohletter appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,220 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 6,220 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 Rohletter 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 | #160,975 | #154,755 | 3.9% |
| Count | 100 | 102 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rohletter bearers went from 100 to 102 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 6,220 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #154,755.
FAQ
Rohletter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rohletter?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Rohletter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Rohletter?
Rohletter ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Rohletter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Rohletter.
Has Rohletter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rohletter went from 100 recorded bearers to 102. That is an increase of 2 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Rohletter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohletter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Rohletter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rohletter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Black (2.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Rohletter (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 Rohletter mean?
An occupational surname referring to a worker who harvested or processed reeds. 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 Rohletter (0.03 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 are called Rohletter?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Rohletter at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.