2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rohrssen
A German habitational surname derived from a location named for its reeds or rushes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Rohrssen. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rohrssen 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Rohrssen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohrssen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rohrssen
The surname ROHRSSEN has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Rohr," which means "reed" or "cane," suggesting that the name may have been originally associated with people who lived near areas with reeds or worked with reed-related crafts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ROHRSSEN name can be found in the village of Rohrbach, located in the state of Bavaria, Germany. In the 1580s, there are records of a family with the surname ROHRSSEN residing in this village, which was known for its abundant reed beds along the nearby river.
The ROHRSSEN name has also been linked to the town of Rohrsen in the German state of Lower Saxony, where it is speculated that some members of the family may have originated or resided during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the ROHRSSEN surname was Johann Friedrich ROHRSSEN (1701-1777), a German theologian and author who wrote several influential works on religious philosophy.
During the 19th century, the ROHRSSEN name gained some prominence in the field of medicine. Dr. Wilhelm ROHRSSEN (1825-1892) was a respected physician and researcher who made significant contributions to the study of infectious diseases.
Another individual of note was Hans ROHRSSEN (1856-1923), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the field of literature, the poet and novelist Anna ROHRSSEN (1875-1947) gained recognition for her works exploring themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
The ROHRSSEN surname also has a connection to the town of Rohrsen in the German state of Hesse, where records from the 17th and 18th centuries show a significant presence of families bearing this name.
While the ROHRSSEN surname is not among the most common in Germany today, its historical roots and connections to various regions and notable individuals make it a unique and interesting name with a rich heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rohrssen
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohrssen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rohrssen 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 Rohrssen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 100
- Two or more races6.4% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rohrssen
Rohrssen 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-9 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,840 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,323 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 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 18,840 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 4,323 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 Rohrssen 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 | #153,769 | #149,446 | 2.8% |
| Count | 106 | 110 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rohrssen bearers went from 106 to 110 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 4,323 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #149,446.
FAQ
Rohrssen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rohrssen?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Rohrssen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Rohrssen?
Rohrssen ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Rohrssen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Rohrssen.
Has Rohrssen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rohrssen went from 106 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 4 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Rohrssen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rohrssen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Rohrssen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rohrssen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (6.4%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Rohrssen (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 Rohrssen mean?
A German habitational surname derived from a location named for its reeds or rushes. 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 Rohrssen (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 Rohrssen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.