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

Roloff, 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 Roloff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roloff in America

Roloff is the 14160th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roloff surname appeared 2,121 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 Roloff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roloff 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 Roloff

The surname Roloff originates from Germany and can be traced back to the late Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the German words "rollen" meaning "to roll" and "hoff" meaning "farm" or "settlement". The name likely referred to someone who lived or worked on a farm where rolling or rolling tools were used.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Roloff can be found in the German city of Quedlinburg, where a certain Henning Roloff was mentioned in municipal records dating back to 1487. The spelling variation "Rolof" was also common in some regions during the 15th and 16th centuries.

In the town of Halberstadt, located in the present-day German state of Saxony-Anhalt, a family by the name of Roloff is mentioned in church records from the late 16th century. It is believed that this branch of the Roloff family may have originated in the nearby village of Rölsdorf, which could have influenced the spelling of their surname.

During the 17th century, a notable figure named Hans Roloff (1602-1673) was a respected theologian and pastor in the city of Wittenberg. He was known for his contributions to the Lutheran church and his writings on religious topics.

Another individual of note was Johann Roloff (1720-1789), a German composer and organist who lived and worked in the town of Magdeburg. His compositions, primarily for organ and church choir, were highly regarded during his lifetime.

In the 19th century, a prominent Roloff was Carl Roloff (1819-1887), a German painter and illustrator who specialized in portraiture and historical scenes. His works can be found in several museums and art galleries across Germany.

While the surname Roloff has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, the earliest recorded examples and historical references remain firmly rooted in the German regions mentioned above.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roloff

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

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

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

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