2000
#17,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,446
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.54
Rare Last name
Rohm
A topographic surname denoting a person who lived near a small stream or water channel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,767 Americans carry the last name Rohm. That puts it at #17,878 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 193,975 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rohm 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
1.8K
1 in 193,975
Census rank
#17,878
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,541 bearers of the surname Rohm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17878th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohm, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rohm
The surname ROHM has its origins in Germany, originating in the Middle Ages around the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "roh" or "rohr," meaning "reed" or "cane." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near reed beds or marshlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ROHM surname can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, from the year 1298, where a certain "Hans Rohm" is mentioned as a resident. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
During the 15th century, the ROHM name appears in various historical records and documents across southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. In some instances, the name was also spelled as "Rohme" or "Rohmb," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
One notable historical figure bearing the ROHM surname was Johann Rohm, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1532 to 1592. His works, which included religious subjects and portraits, were highly regarded during the Renaissance period.
In the 17th century, the ROHM name gained prominence with the birth of Johann Christoph Rohm (1638-1721), a German composer and organist known for his sacred choral works. He served as the court organist in Nuremberg and his compositions were widely performed in churches across Germany.
Another notable individual with the ROHM surname was Friedrich Rohm (1786-1864), a German politician and lawyer who played a significant role in the development of constitutional law in Bavaria. He served as a member of the Bavarian parliament and was instrumental in shaping the legal framework of the region during the 19th century.
In the 20th century, one of the most infamous individuals with the ROHM surname was Ernst Röhm (1887-1934), a German military officer and an early leader of the Nazi Party. He was the co-founder of the Sturmabteilung (SA), the paramilitary organization that played a crucial role in the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. However, he was later executed during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934.
While the ROHM surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, where it was likely associated with individuals living near reed beds or marshlands in southern Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rohm
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohm, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rohm 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 Rohm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 1,406
- Two or more races4.4% · 68
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 16
- Black or African American0.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rohm
Rohm 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
#18,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,520
+74 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Down 426 places
2020
#17,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,541
+21 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Up 394 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,846 | 1,446 | 0.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,272 | 1,520 | 0.52 | +74 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 426 places |
| 2020 | #17,878 | 1,541 | 0.52 | +21 bearers (+1.4%) | Up 394 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 Rohm 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 | #18,272 | #17,878 | 2.2% |
| Count | 1,520 | 1,541 | 1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.52 | 0.52 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rohm bearers went from 1,520 to 1,541 (+1.4% change). The surname moved up 394 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,272 to #17,878.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rohm
FAQ
Rohm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rohm?
Name Census estimates that about 1,767 living Americans carry the surname Rohm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 193,975 residents.
How common is Rohm?
Rohm ranks #17,878 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.52 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 1,541 people with the surname Rohm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,767), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.52 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 Rohm.
Has Rohm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rohm went from 1,520 recorded bearers to 1,541. That is an increase of 21 (+1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,272 to #17,878.
What does the Census say about the background of Rohm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohm, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Rohm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (1,406 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rohm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Rohm (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 Rohm mean?
A topographic surname denoting a person who lived near a small stream or water channel. 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 Rohm (0.52 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 Rohm?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.