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

Rollins, 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 Rollins surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rollins in America

Rollins is the 992nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rollins surname appeared 35,132 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 12 people would have the surname Rollins.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rollins 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 Rollins

The surname Rollins has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "rollin," meaning "little roller," which referred to someone who worked with a type of cylindrical object or tool. The name likely originated as an occupational surname for a person whose job involved rolling or handling rolls of cloth, parchment, or other materials.

The earliest recorded instance of the Rollins surname can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which listed a Richard Rollins in Oxfordshire. In the 14th century, the name appeared as "Rollyns" in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1327. The variants "Rollings" and "Rollyngs" were also used in medieval times.

The Rollins surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was William Rollins, a member of the Virginia Company who sailed to the Virginia Colony in 1607 and became one of the first English settlers in the New World. John Rollins (1732-1795) was a prominent merchant and landowner in New Hampshire, who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress during the American Revolution.

In the 19th century, Edward H. Rollins (1824-1889) was a prominent American politician and businessman who served as a member of Congress and as the Commissioner of Internal Revenue under President Ulysses S. Grant. James Sidney Rollins (1812-1888) was a politician and educator from Missouri who played a key role in the founding of the University of Missouri.

Another notable bearer of the Rollins surname was Walter H. Rollins (1867-1945), a successful businessman and philanthropist from New Hampshire who founded the Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, in 1885. The college was named in honor of his father, Alonzo W. Rollins, and the Rollins family's contributions to the institution have been significant throughout its history.

The Rollins surname has also been connected to various place names, such as Rollins Brook in New Hampshire and Rollins Township in Michigan. These locations were likely named after early settlers or landowners with the Rollins surname, reflecting the influence and presence of this family name in different parts of the United States and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rollins

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

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 Rollins 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 Rollins 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 Rollins was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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