2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Romba
A surname likely derived from a place name in Spain or Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Romba. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Romba 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Romba in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Romba, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Romba
The surname Romba has its origins in Italy, believed to have emerged during the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Italian word "rombare," which means "to rumble" or "to roar," potentially referring to someone who lived near a waterfall or a loud, rushing river.
One of the earliest known records of the name Romba can be found in a manuscript from the city of Siena, dated around 1250. This document mentions a merchant named Giovanni Romba, suggesting that the name was already established in the region by that time.
During the 14th century, variations of the name, such as Rombaldi and Rombetti, appeared in various historical documents from the Tuscan region of Italy. These spellings may have been adopted by different branches of the family or could indicate regional dialectal differences.
In the late 15th century, a prominent figure named Roberto Romba (1452-1524) was a renowned artist and sculptor based in Florence. He is best known for his intricate marble carvings that adorned several churches and public buildings in the city.
Another notable bearer of the name was Giacomo Romba (1578-1648), a scholar and philosopher from Verona. He wrote several influential treatises on logic and metaphysics, which were widely studied in universities across Europe.
Moving into the 17th century, the Romba family established a strong presence in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. One member, Giulia Romba (1612-1692), became a respected landowner and philanthropist, known for her generous support of local orphanages and hospitals.
In the 19th century, the name Romba gained recognition in the world of literature with the writer and poet Giuseppe Romba (1825-1891). His collection of romantic poetry, titled "Canti d'Amore" (Songs of Love), gained widespread acclaim and established him as a prominent figure in the Italian literary scene of that era.
Throughout its history, the surname Romba has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, landowners, and writers. While its origins may be rooted in the Italian countryside, the name has left an indelible mark across multiple regions and disciplines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Romba
Among Census respondents with the surname Romba, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Romba 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 Romba surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 100
- Black or African American14.4% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Romba
Romba 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-6 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,160 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,403 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 14,160 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 1,403 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 Romba 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 | #142,108 | #143,511 | -1.0% |
| Count | 117 | 118 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Romba bearers went from 117 to 118 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,403 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #143,511.
FAQ
Romba surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Romba?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Romba. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Romba?
Romba ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Romba. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Romba.
Has Romba become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Romba went from 117 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Romba?
Among Census respondents with the surname Romba, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Romba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Romba appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Black (14.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Romba (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 Romba mean?
A surname likely derived from a place name in Spain or Italy. 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 Romba (0.04 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 Romba?
If you just want to know how common the surname Romba is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.