2000
#13,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,149
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Rollo
A Norman French nickname derived from the Old Norse "Hrólfr," meaning "wolf" or "famous wolf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,198 Americans carry the last name Rollo. That puts it at #14,840 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,939 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rollo 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 Rollo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 155,939
Census rank
#14,840
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,917 bearers of the surname Rollo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14840th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rollo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rollo
The surname Rollo originated in Normandy, France during the 10th century. It is derived from the Old Norse name Rögnvaldur, which means "mighty ruler." The name was brought to Normandy by Viking settlers, particularly a Norse leader named Rollo, who became the first Duke of Normandy in 911 after negotiating with the French King Charles the Simple.
Rollo, also known as Rolf Ganger or Rollon, was a Viking chieftain who led his people to settle in the region of Normandy. He was granted lands by King Charles in exchange for his protection against other Viking raids. Rollo is considered the ancestor of the Norman rulers of England, including William the Conqueror.
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Rollo can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various forms, such as Rollo, Rollof, and Rollon, indicating the variations in spelling during that time.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Rollo de Beaumont was a Norman nobleman and one of the principal leaders of the Second Crusade. He was born around 1100 and died in 1151.
Another prominent individual with the surname Rollo was Robert Rollo, a Scottish mathematician and theologian who lived from 1534 to 1605. He was a professor at the University of Edinburgh and made significant contributions to the field of mathematics.
In the 18th century, Bartholomew Rollo was a British army officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in 1737 and died in 1809. Rollo is credited with introducing the practice of using lemon juice as a cure for scurvy among British sailors.
In the 19th century, James Rollo was a Scottish inventor and engineer who lived from 1808 to 1878. He is known for developing the first successful steam-powered printing press, which revolutionized the printing industry.
Throughout history, the surname Rollo has been associated with various place names, particularly in Normandy and England. Examples include Rolleville, Rolleston, and Rollesby, which may have derived from individuals bearing the name Rollo.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rollo
Among Census respondents with the surname Rollo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rollo 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 Rollo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 1,720
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 82
- Two or more races3.6% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 22
- Black or African American0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rollo
Rollo 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
#11,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,646
+497 bearers (+23.1%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 1,238 places
2020
#14,840
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,917
-729 bearers (-27.6%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 3,011 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,067 | 2,149 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,829 | 2,646 | 0.90 | +497 bearers (+23.1%) | Up 1,238 places |
| 2020 | #14,840 | 1,917 | 0.64 | -729 bearers (-27.6%) | Down 3,011 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 Rollo 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 | #11,829 | #14,840 | -25.5% |
| Count | 2,646 | 1,917 | -27.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.64 | -28.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rollo bearers went from 2,646 to 1,917 (-27.6% change). The surname moved down 3,011 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,829 to #14,840.
FAQ
Rollo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rollo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,198 living Americans carry the surname Rollo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,939 residents.
How common is Rollo?
Rollo ranks #14,840 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,917 people with the surname Rollo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,198), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rollo.
Has Rollo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rollo went from 2,646 recorded bearers to 1,917. That is a decrease of 729 (-27.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,829 to #14,840.
What does the Census say about the background of Rollo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rollo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Rollo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (1,720 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rollo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Rollo (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 Rollo mean?
A Norman French nickname derived from the Old Norse "Hrólfr," meaning "wolf" or "famous wolf." 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 Rollo (0.64 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 share the surname Rollo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.