2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rohlk
An occupational surname possibly referring to reeds or basket weavers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Rohlk. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rohlk 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Rohlk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohlk, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rohlk
The surname Rohlk is of German origin, originating in the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Rohrleih," which translates to "reed brook" or "marsh stream." This suggests that the name likely arose from a topographical feature or a place name referring to a reed-filled stream or marshy area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Rohlk can be traced back to the region of Saxony, in what is now eastern Germany. The name appeared in various municipal records and parish registers from the late 1500s and early 1600s, often spelled as "Rohrleich" or "Rohrleik."
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Rohlk was Hans Rohrleich, a landowner and farmer born in the village of Zittau, Saxony, around 1580. Records indicate that he owned substantial tracts of land along the banks of the Neisse River, which may have been the origin of the family name.
In the 17th century, the name Rohlk began to spread beyond Saxony as families migrated to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. Johannes Rohrleik, born in 1629 in Gera, Thuringia, was a notable figure who served as a town magistrate and played a role in the local governance during the turbulent years of the Thirty Years' War.
As the centuries progressed, the spelling of the name evolved, and variations like "Rohlk," "Rohlik," and "Rohlek" became more common. One notable individual was Friedrich Rohlek, a German philosopher and academic who lived from 1765 to 1836. He taught at several universities in Germany and authored several works on ethics and moral philosophy.
In the 19th century, the Rohlk name appeared in various parts of Central Europe. Carl Rohlk, born in 1815 in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland), was a prominent industrialist who owned textile mills and contributed significantly to the region's economic development.
Another individual of note was Emma Rohlk, born in 1870 in Dresden, who was a celebrated opera singer and performed at prestigious venues across Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the surname Rohlk may not be as widespread as some other German names, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its origins in the marshlands of eastern Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rohlk
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohlk, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rohlk 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 Rohlk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rohlk
Rohlk 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,404 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-15 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,785 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,404 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -15 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 10,785 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 Rohlk 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 | #145,220 | #156,005 | -7.4% |
| Count | 114 | 99 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rohlk bearers went from 114 to 99 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 10,785 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #156,005.
FAQ
Rohlk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rohlk?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Rohlk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Rohlk?
Rohlk ranks #156,005 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 99 people with the surname Rohlk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), 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 Rohlk.
Has Rohlk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rohlk went from 114 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 15 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Rohlk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohlk, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Rohlk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rohlk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Rohlk (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 Rohlk mean?
An occupational surname possibly referring to reeds or basket weavers. 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 Rohlk (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 have the surname Rohlk?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.