2000
#108,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Romanus
An ethnonym indicating someone of Roman origin or ancestry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 159 Americans carry the last name Romanus. That puts it at #128,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,155,688 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Romanus 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.
Bearers in the US
159
1 in 2,155,688
Census rank
#128,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
139
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 139 bearers of the surname Romanus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 128411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Romanus, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Romanus
The surname ROMANUS is of Latin origin, with its roots dating back to ancient Rome. It likely emerged during the Roman Empire as a way to identify individuals who were citizens of Rome or had some connection to the city.
The name ROMANUS is derived from the Latin word "Romanus," which means "Roman" or "of Rome." It was commonly used as a cognomen (a third or additional name) in ancient Rome to indicate one's place of origin or cultural affiliation with the city.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ROMANUS can be found in ancient Roman inscriptions and manuscripts. For example, the name appears in the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, a first-century account of the life and achievements of Augustus, the first Roman emperor.
During the Middle Ages, the name ROMANUS continued to be used, particularly in areas with strong Roman influence or among individuals with ties to the Roman Catholic Church. It is mentioned in various historical records, such as the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.
Notable individuals who bore the surname ROMANUS include Gaius Petronius Romanus, a Roman senator and consul in the 2nd century AD. Another prominent figure was Anicius Olybrius Romanus, a Roman emperor who reigned briefly in the 5th century AD.
In the 12th century, there was a French theologian and philosopher named Peter Romanus, who played a significant role in the intellectual life of the University of Paris.
During the Renaissance, the surname ROMANUS was associated with the humanist scholar and writer Petrus Romanus, also known as Pietro Romano (1457-1508), who was born in Rome and made contributions to Latin literature.
Another notable bearer of the name was the Italian architect and sculptor Giovanni Romanus (1540-1630), who worked on various architectural projects in Rome and other Italian cities.
While the surname ROMANUS may have evolved into different spellings or variants over time, its connection to the ancient city of Rome and the Latin language remains a defining characteristic of its origin and meaning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Romanus
Among Census respondents with the surname Romanus, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Romanus 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 Romanus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 121
- Black or African American5.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Romanus
Romanus 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
#121,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
-10 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 13,437 places
2020
#128,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
-3 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 6,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #108,153 | 152 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #121,590 | 142 | 0.05 | -10 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 13,437 places |
| 2020 | #128,411 | 139 | 0.05 | -3 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 6,821 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 Romanus 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 | #121,590 | #128,411 | -5.6% |
| Count | 142 | 139 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Romanus bearers went from 142 to 139 (-2.1% change). The surname moved down 6,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #121,590 to #128,411.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Romanus
FAQ
Romanus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Romanus?
Name Census estimates that about 159 living Americans carry the surname Romanus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,155,688 residents.
How common is Romanus?
Romanus ranks #128,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 139 people with the surname Romanus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (159), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Romanus.
Has Romanus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Romanus went from 142 recorded bearers to 139. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #121,590 to #128,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Romanus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Romanus, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Romanus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (121 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Romanus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Black (5.8%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Romanus (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 Romanus mean?
An ethnonym indicating someone of Roman origin or ancestry. 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 Romanus (0.05 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 have the last name Romanus?
Find out how common the surname Romanus is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.