Rollinson last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Rollinson

Of English origin, a patronymic surname derived from the given name Rowland or Rollin.

Rollinson, 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 Rollinson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rollinson in America

Rollinson is the 28408th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rollinson surname appeared 840 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rollinson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rollinson 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 28408 25610 10.36%
Count 840 905 -7.45%
Proportion per 100k 0.28 0.34 -19.35%

The history of the last name Rollinson

The surname Rollinson is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a patronymic name, derived from the personal name Rol or Roll, which were diminutive forms of the name Roland. The suffix "-inson" was commonly added to such names to indicate "son of."

Rollinson is closely related to other surnames such as Rollins, Rollings, and Rawlinson, all of which share a similar etymological foundation. The name is thought to have first emerged in the northern regions of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, where it was well-established by the 13th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Lancashire Inquests of 1310, which mentions a John Rolinson. Another early reference is in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332, where a Robert Rollynson is listed in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

The Rollinson name has been associated with various place names across England, including Rollinson in Lancashire and Rollinson's Farm in Lincolnshire. These locations likely took their names from early bearers of the surname who resided there.

Among notable historical figures with the Rollinson surname, one can mention:

  1. Thomas Rollinson (c. 1590-1663), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge from 1629 to 1663.

  2. John Rollinson (1762-1841), a British navy officer who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and achieved the rank of Admiral.

  3. William Rollinson (1762-1842), a prominent British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. Dunstan-in-the-West.

  4. Samuel Rollinson (1807-1876), an English inventor and engineer, best known for his contributions to the development of early agricultural machinery.

  5. Mary Rollinson (1845-1922), a British educator and suffragist who campaigned for women's rights and played a significant role in the establishment of higher education opportunities for women in the late 19th century.

While the Rollinson name may have evolved over time and spread to various parts of the world, its origins can be traced back to the medieval English heartlands, where it emerged as a patronymic surname reflecting the rich tapestry of English nomenclature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rollinson

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

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 Rollinson was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 74.05% 622
Non-Hispanic Black Only 23.33% 196
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.95% 8
Hispanic Origin 1.19% 10

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 Rollinson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 74.05% 75.47% -1.90%
Black 23.33% 22.54% 3.44%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.95% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 1.19% 1.55% -26.28%

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

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

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"Rollinson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 16, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/rollinson-surname-popularity/.

"Rollinson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/rollinson-surname-popularity/. Accessed 16 July, 2025

Rollinson last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/rollinson-surname-popularity/.

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