2000
#393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 73,071
First available Census row
Per 100,000 27.09
Common Last name
Rojas
A Spanish surname derived from the word "rojo," meaning "red," likely referring to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125,204 Americans carry the last name Rojas. That puts it at #282 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 36.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,738 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rojas 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rojas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125K
1 in 2,738
Census rank
#282
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
36.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109,184 bearers of the surname Rojas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 36.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 282nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rojas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rojas
The surname Rojas originates from Spain and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "rojo," meaning red, which suggests that the name was originally given as a nickname to someone with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the Libro de la Montería, a hunting manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile in the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the Rojas family gained prominence in Spain, with several members holding influential positions in the court of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. One of the most notable figures was Francisco de Rojas, a Spanish poet and playwright born in 1470, best known for his work "La Celestina."
As the Spanish empire expanded, the surname Rojas spread to various parts of the Americas. In the 16th century, Juan de Rojas, a Spanish conquistador, participated in the conquest of Chile and later became the first governor of the city of Mendoza, Argentina.
Another prominent individual with the surname Rojas was Agustín de Rojas, a Spanish poet and dramatist born in 1572 in Seville. He is renowned for his plays, which often explored themes of honor and morality.
In the 18th century, Juan Manuel de Rosas, a prominent Argentine military officer and politician, played a significant role in the country's history. He served as the governor of Buenos Aires province from 1829 to 1832 and again from 1835 to 1852.
During the 19th century, the Rojas surname gained recognition in various fields. One notable figure was Fernando de Rojas, a Mexican architect and engineer born in 1838, who designed several important buildings in Mexico City, including the Palacio de Bellas Artes.
In the 20th century, Miguel Rojas-Mix, a Chilean writer and literary critic born in 1934, made significant contributions to the study of Latin American literature and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rojas
Among Census respondents with the surname Rojas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rojas 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 Rojas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.8% · 102,384
- White4.3% · 4,641
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1,111
- Black or African American0.5% · 500
- Two or more races0.3% · 336
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 212
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rojas
Rojas 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
#285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108,421
+35,350 bearers (+48.4%)
Per 100,000 36.76
Rank movement Up 108 places
2020
#282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109,184
+763 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 36.53
Rank movement Up 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #393 | 73,071 | 27.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #285 | 108,421 | 36.76 | +35,350 bearers (+48.4%) | Up 108 places |
| 2020 | #282 | 109,184 | 36.53 | +763 bearers (+0.7%) | Up 3 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 Rojas 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 | #285 | #282 | 1.1% |
| Count | 108,421 | 109,184 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 36.76 | 36.53 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rojas bearers went from 108,421 to 109,184 (+0.7% change). The surname moved up 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #285 to #282.
FAQ
Rojas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rojas?
Name Census estimates that about 125,204 living Americans carry the surname Rojas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,738 residents.
How common is Rojas?
Rojas ranks #282 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 36.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 37 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109,184 people with the surname Rojas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125,204), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 36.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 36.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 37 of them to have the surname Rojas.
Has Rojas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rojas went from 108,421 recorded bearers to 109,184. That is an increase of 763 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #285 to #282.
What does the Census say about the background of Rojas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rojas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rojas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (102,384 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rojas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.8%), White (4.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Rojas (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 Rojas mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "rojo," meaning "red," likely referring to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion. 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 Rojas (36.53 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 last name Rojas?
Find out how many people have the surname Rojas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.