2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rohrdanz
A German surname derived from the words "Rohr" meaning pipe or reed, and "Tanz" meaning dance or dancing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Rohrdanz. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rohrdanz 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Rohrdanz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohrdanz, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rohrdanz
The surname Rohrdanz has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the late medieval period around the 15th century. It is a locational name, derived from the Germanic words "rohr" meaning reed or cane, and "tanz" meaning dance or dancing. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a place where reeds or canes grew, possibly near a marshy area or riverbank.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, where a Henrich Rohrdanz was mentioned in 1492. Other variations of the spelling included Rordanz, Rohrtanz, and Rohrdentz.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various documents from the regions of Saxony and Thuringia. A notable figure from this time was Hans Rohrdanz, a merchant and landowner born in Erfurt in 1523. He was known for his involvement in the local trade guilds and for his philanthropic contributions to the city's churches and schools.
During the 17th century, the Rohrdanz family spread to other parts of Germany, including Silesia and Brandenburg. One noteworthy individual was Johann Rohrdanz (1623-1689), a Lutheran pastor and theologian from Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland). He was a prolific writer and published several works on religious topics.
In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the city of Rostock in northern Germany. Carl Friedrich Rohrdanz (1741-1812) was a prominent figure in this region, serving as a magistrate and city councilor. He was also an avid collector of books and manuscripts, contributing to the establishment of the city's public library.
Another notable individual with this surname was the 19th-century German composer and music teacher Friedrich Rohrdanz (1815-1892), who was born in Mühlhausen, Thuringia. He composed numerous works for piano and voice and was highly regarded as an educator, teaching at several music conservatories across Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rohrdanz
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohrdanz, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rohrdanz 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 Rohrdanz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 98
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rohrdanz
Rohrdanz 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-7 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,603 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,867 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 16,603 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 2,867 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 Rohrdanz 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 | #151,532 | #148,665 | 1.9% |
| Count | 108 | 111 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rohrdanz bearers went from 108 to 111 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 2,867 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #148,665.
FAQ
Rohrdanz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rohrdanz?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Rohrdanz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Rohrdanz?
Rohrdanz ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Rohrdanz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Rohrdanz.
Has Rohrdanz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rohrdanz went from 108 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 3 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Rohrdanz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohrdanz, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Rohrdanz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rohrdanz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Rohrdanz (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 Rohrdanz mean?
A German surname derived from the words "Rohr" meaning pipe or reed, and "Tanz" meaning dance or dancing. 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 Rohrdanz (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Rohrdanz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.