2000
#5,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,272
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.33
Rare Last name
Rohr
A German occupational surname referring to a pipe or tube maker, derived from the Middle High German "rōre".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,144 Americans carry the last name Rohr. That puts it at #5,404 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,978 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rohr 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
7.1K
1 in 47,978
Census rank
#5,404
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,230 bearers of the surname Rohr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5404th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohr, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rohr
The surname Rohr originates from Germany, where it first emerged in the medieval era. It is derived from the German word "Rohr," meaning "reed" or "cane." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a reed bed or worked with reeds in some capacity, such as a thatcher or basket-weaver.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rohr can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to the 13th century. In this text, a certain "Conradus de Rore" is mentioned in reference to a land transaction in the year 1280.
Another early record of the name Rohr appears in the Urkundenbuch der Stadt Hildesheim, a collection of documents from the city of Hildesheim in Lower Saxony, where a "Johannes Rohr" is listed as a member of the city council in the year 1397.
The name Rohr has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Rohrbach (reed stream), Rohrbach an der Ilm, and Rohrbach an der Gölsen. These place names may have influenced the spread and adoption of the surname in different regions.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Rohr include:
1. Hans Rohr (1595-1658), a German painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits.
2. Philipp Rohr (1653-1719), a German architect and builder who worked on various churches and castles in Saxony.
3. Johann Philipp Rohr (1737-1806), a German naturalist and entomologist who studied insect life in the West Indies.
4. Julius Bernhard von Rohr (1688-1742), a German military officer and writer who served in the Prussian Army during the reign of Frederick the Great.
5. Johann Friedrich Rohr (1777-1848), a German composer and organist who wrote numerous works for the organ and church choir.
These examples illustrate the longevity and diversity of the Rohr surname throughout German history, spanning various professions and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rohr
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohr, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rohr 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 Rohr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 5,759
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 184
- Two or more races2.8% · 177
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 37
- Black or African American0.5% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rohr
Rohr 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
#5,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,308
+36 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 2.14
Rank movement Down 380 places
2020
#5,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,230
-78 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Up 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,134 | 6,272 | 2.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,514 | 6,308 | 2.14 | +36 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 380 places |
| 2020 | #5,404 | 6,230 | 2.08 | -78 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 110 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 Rohr 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 | #5,514 | #5,404 | 2.0% |
| Count | 6,308 | 6,230 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.14 | 2.08 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rohr bearers went from 6,308 to 6,230 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,514 to #5,404.
FAQ
Rohr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rohr?
Name Census estimates that about 7,144 living Americans carry the surname Rohr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,978 residents.
How common is Rohr?
Rohr ranks #5,404 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,230 people with the surname Rohr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,144), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Rohr.
Has Rohr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rohr went from 6,308 recorded bearers to 6,230. That is a decrease of 78 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,514 to #5,404.
What does the Census say about the background of Rohr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohr, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Rohr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (5,759 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rohr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (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 Rohr (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 Rohr mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a pipe or tube maker, derived from the Middle High German "rōre". 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 Rohr (2.08 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 Rohr?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Rohr on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.