2000
#11,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,428
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Romain
A French surname derived from the Latin name Romanus, meaning "Roman" or "of Rome."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,635 Americans carry the last name Romain. That puts it at #9,765 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,293 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Romain 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 Romain with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,293
Census rank
#9,765
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,170 bearers of the surname Romain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9765th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Romain, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.6%. The next largest groups are White (32.9%) and Hispanic (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Romain
Among Census respondents with the surname Romain, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.6%. The next largest groups are White (32.9%) and Hispanic (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Romain 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 Romain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American55.6% · 1,761
- White32.9% · 1,043
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 231
- Two or more races3.6% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Romain
Romain 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
#10,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,946
+518 bearers (+21.3%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 1,006 places
2020
#9,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,170
+224 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 1,047 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,818 | 2,428 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,812 | 2,946 | 1.00 | +518 bearers (+21.3%) | Up 1,006 places |
| 2020 | #9,765 | 3,170 | 1.06 | +224 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 1,047 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 Romain 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 | #10,812 | #9,765 | 9.7% |
| Count | 2,946 | 3,170 | 7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 1.06 | 6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Romain bearers went from 2,946 to 3,170 (+7.6% change). The surname moved up 1,047 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,812 to #9,765.
FAQ
Romain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Romain?
Name Census estimates that about 3,635 living Americans carry the surname Romain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,293 residents.
How common is Romain?
Romain ranks #9,765 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,170 people with the surname Romain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,635), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Romain.
Has Romain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Romain went from 2,946 recorded bearers to 3,170. That is an increase of 224 (+7.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,812 to #9,765.
What does the Census say about the background of Romain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Romain, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.6%. The next largest groups are White (32.9%) and Hispanic (7.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Romain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.6% (1,761 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Romain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (55.6%), White (32.9%), Hispanic (7.3%). 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 Romain (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 Romain mean?
A French surname derived from the Latin name Romanus, meaning "Roman" or "of Rome." 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 Romain (1.06 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 Romain?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.