Find out how popular the last name Rolen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rolen.

Rolen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rolen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rolen in America

Rolen is the 15639th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rolen surname appeared 1,868 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rolen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rolen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rolen

The surname Rolen has its origins in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "rol" meaning "a roll" and "lan" meaning "a lane or path," suggesting that the name may have been associated with someone who lived or worked near a rolling or winding road.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of land ownership and taxation compiled in 1086 under the reign of William the Conqueror. The name is mentioned in the entry for Leicestershire, where a certain Reginald Rolen is listed as a landowner.

In the 13th century, records from Lincolnshire mention a John Rolen, who was a prominent figure in the local community. Another early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1284, where a Robert Rolen is listed as a taxpayer.

During the 14th century, the name appeared in various records across England, with slight variations in spelling, such as Rolyn, Rolun, and Rollyn. One notable bearer of the name was William Rolen, a merchant from Bristol who was recorded in the city's trade records in 1372.

Moving into the 15th century, the Rolen surname gained further recognition with the birth of Sir John Rolen (1420-1492), a knight and landowner from Norfolk. Sir John's descendants continued to hold significant positions in the region for several generations.

In the 16th century, the Rolen family had spread to other parts of England, with records showing individuals with the surname in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Warwickshire. One notable figure was Thomas Rolen (1525-1590), a respected scholar and clergyman who served as the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Rolen surname continued to be present in various parts of England, with several individuals making their mark in various fields. Examples include Sir Edward Rolen (1620-1687), a Member of Parliament and landowner in Gloucestershire, and Mary Rolen (1685-1745), a renowned botanist and author from Hertfordshire.

By the 19th century, the Rolen surname had spread beyond England, with records indicating individuals bearing the name in other parts of the United Kingdom, as well as in North America and Australia, likely due to migration and exploration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rolen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rolen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rolen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rolen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rolen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rolen, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!