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

Romain, 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 Romain surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Romain in America

Romain is the 10812th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Romain surname appeared 2,946 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 Romain.

We can also compare 2010 data for Romain 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 Romain

The surname Romain is of French origin, derived from the Latin word "Romanus," which means "Roman." It is believed to have originated during the Roman era, when it was likely given as a descriptive name to someone who lived in an area populated by Romans or had some connection to Roman culture.

In its earliest form, the name was likely spelled "Romanus" or "Romaine," and it was borne by several prominent individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Willelmus Romanus in Kent, England.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Romain was particularly common in France, where it was often associated with nobility and landowners. In the 12th century, a knight named Gautier Romain was mentioned in the chronicles of the Crusades, and in the 13th century, a nobleman named Philippe Romain was recorded as the lord of the village of Romain-sur-Meuse in northeastern France.

As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, including Romaine, Romayne, and Romaynes. In England, the name appeared in records as early as the 13th century, and by the 16th century, it had become firmly established as a surname.

One notable bearer of the name Romain was Jules Romain (1585-1637), a French poet and playwright who was a member of the Académie Française. Another was Jean-Jacques Romain (1736-1796), a French painter and engraver best known for his portraits of royalty and aristocracy.

In the realm of literature, the name Romain is associated with the French writer and philosopher Jules Romain (1885-1972), who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1915 for his novels and plays. Another famous bearer of the name was the French sculptor Jules Romain (1838-1916), whose works can be found in museums and public spaces throughout France.

While the surname Romain is most commonly associated with France, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, including Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy, where it may have been introduced through migration or cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Romain

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

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

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

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