2000
#14,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,916
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Romaine
A French topographic surname for someone living in a place abundant with pomegranates or pomegranate trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,085 Americans carry the last name Romaine. That puts it at #15,509 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 164,391 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Romaine 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 Romaine with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 164,391
Census rank
#15,509
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,818 bearers of the surname Romaine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15509th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Romaine, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Romaine
The surname Romaine has its origins in France, specifically in the northern regions near the border with Belgium and the Netherlands. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "romane," which referred to the Romance language family. The earliest known records of the name date back to the 12th century.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Romaine surname appears in the Livre des Bourgeois de Cambrai, a medieval manuscript from the city of Cambrai in northern France. This record, dating back to the late 12th century, mentions several individuals bearing the name Romaine.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the Romaine surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Picardy, Artois, and Flanders. It is possible that the name was initially associated with those who spoke the Romance language or had connections to the Roman culture and heritage.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Gilles Romaine (c. 1210-1278) was a prominent scholar and theologian from the city of Tournai, located in modern-day Belgium. He was known for his contributions to the study of canon law and his writings on various theological topics.
During the Renaissance period, the Romaine surname gained further prominence. One notable bearer was Jacques Romaine (1516-1582), a French painter and engraver from the city of Reims. His works, particularly his religious paintings and engravings, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
Another significant figure was Jean-Baptiste Romaine (1635-1700), a French architect and engineer who worked on several important construction projects in Paris, including the Louvre and the Palais des Tuileries. His architectural designs and innovations left a lasting impact on the city's landscape.
In the 18th century, a military officer named Louis-César Romaine (1725-1805) distinguished himself during the French Revolutionary Wars. He rose through the ranks and became a respected general, known for his strategic skills and leadership on the battlefield.
The Romaine surname also found its way to other parts of Europe and beyond. In the 19th century, a British explorer and naturalist named William Romaine (1823-1887) made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in Australia and New Zealand, where he conducted extensive research and documented numerous species.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the Romaine surname throughout history, but the name has continued to be carried by families across various regions and cultures, each with their own unique stories and histories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Romaine
Among Census respondents with the surname Romaine, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Romaine 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 Romaine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.2% · 1,476
- Black or African American9.4% · 171
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 84
- Two or more races3.7% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Romaine
Romaine 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
#14,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,010
+94 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 440 places
2020
#15,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,818
-192 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,335 | 1,916 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,775 | 2,010 | 0.68 | +94 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 440 places |
| 2020 | #15,509 | 1,818 | 0.61 | -192 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 734 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 Romaine 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 | #14,775 | #15,509 | -5.0% |
| Count | 2,010 | 1,818 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.61 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Romaine bearers went from 2,010 to 1,818 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 734 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,775 to #15,509.
FAQ
Romaine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Romaine?
Name Census estimates that about 2,085 living Americans carry the surname Romaine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 164,391 residents.
How common is Romaine?
Romaine ranks #15,509 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,818 people with the surname Romaine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,085), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Romaine.
Has Romaine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Romaine went from 2,010 recorded bearers to 1,818. That is a decrease of 192 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,775 to #15,509.
What does the Census say about the background of Romaine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Romaine, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Romaine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (1,476 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Romaine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.2%), Black (9.4%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Romaine (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 Romaine mean?
A French topographic surname for someone living in a place abundant with pomegranates or pomegranate trees. 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 Romaine (0.61 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 are called Romaine?
If you just want to know how common the surname Romaine is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.