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

Roma, 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 Roma surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roma in America

Roma is the 16560th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roma surname appeared 1,733 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 Roma.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roma 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 Roma

The surname Roma has its origins in Italy and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word 'Roma', which refers to the city of Rome. The name likely originated with individuals who either lived in or near Rome, or who had some connection to the city.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Roma surname dates back to the 12th century in the city of Florence, where it appeared in municipal records. During this time, it was common practice for individuals to adopt surnames based on their place of origin or residence.

The Roma name has also been found in various historical documents throughout Italy, including medieval tax rolls and census records. In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Libro di Montaperti, a chronicle detailing the Battle of Montaperti fought between the Guelphs and Ghibellines in 1260.

Notable individuals with the Roma surname include:

1. Pietro Roma (c. 1460-1545), an Italian Renaissance painter from Treviso.
2. Giovanni Roma (1584-1623), an Italian composer and organist from Vicenza.
3. Alessandro Roma (1660-1720), an Italian architect and sculptor from Rome.
4. Carlo Roma (1808-1875), an Italian painter and engraver from Milan.
5. Giulio Roma (1882-1965), an Italian politician and lawyer from Naples.

The surname Roma has also been associated with various place names throughout Italy, such as the town of Roma in the province of Latina, and the comune of Roma Vecchia in the province of Caserta. These place names likely influenced the adoption of the surname by individuals residing in or originating from those locations.

It is worth noting that the Roma surname is not to be confused with the Roma people, an ethnic group commonly known as Romani or Gypsies, who have a distinct cultural and linguistic heritage separate from the Italian surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roma

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

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

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

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