2000
#6,230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,056
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.87
Rare Last name
Rome
An English locational surname indicating a person who resided in or originated from the city of Rome, Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,711 Americans carry the last name Rome. That puts it at #6,545 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,017 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rome 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 Rome with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 60,017
Census rank
#6,545
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,980 bearers of the surname Rome in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6545th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rome, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rome
The surname ROME is an English habitational name that originated in the medieval era, derived from the famous city of Rome in Italy. Earliest recordings of the name appear in English records dating back to the 12th century, often spelled as "de Rome" or "atte Rome," indicating those who hailed from or lived near the city.
The name likely arose as a distinguishing moniker for English individuals who had visited or resided in Rome, perhaps on religious pilgrimages or as merchants trading with Italian cities. Some of the earliest bearers may have been Crusaders or soldiers who had journeyed to Rome during the medieval Crusades.
By the 13th century, the surname had evolved to its modern spelling of ROME, as seen in records such as the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, which mentions a William de Rome in 1273. The Placita de Quo Warranto, a legal record from 1292, also documents a Walter de Rome.
While the name is of English origin, its roots trace back to the ancient Latin name "Roma," the original appellation of the iconic city that served as the capital of the Roman Empire. This connection to one of the most influential civilizations in history lends the surname ROME a sense of prestige and antiquity.
Notable figures bearing the surname ROME throughout history include:
1. Philip de Rome (c. 1165 - c. 1225), an English cleric who served as Bishop of Ely from 1199 to 1225.
2. John Rome (c. 1390 - c. 1445), an English monk and historian who authored the "Vita Ricardi Secundi," a chronicle of the reign of King Richard II.
3. Robert Rome (c. 1510 - 1577), an English printer and publisher known for his work on religious texts during the Protestant Reformation.
4. Thomas Rome (1579 - 1642), an English Catholic priest and controversialist who authored several religious treatises defending Catholicism.
5. George Rome (1785 - 1861), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy and participated in the Napoleonic Wars.
The surname ROME has endured for centuries, carrying the legacy of its association with one of the world's most iconic cities and its rich history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rome
Among Census respondents with the surname Rome, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rome 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 Rome surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.7% · 3,570
- Black or African American18.5% · 922
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 214
- Two or more races3.7% · 184
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rome
Rome 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
#6,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,037
-19 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 474 places
2020
#6,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,980
-57 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Up 159 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,230 | 5,056 | 1.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,704 | 5,037 | 1.71 | -19 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 474 places |
| 2020 | #6,545 | 4,980 | 1.67 | -57 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 159 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 Rome 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 | #6,704 | #6,545 | 2.4% |
| Count | 5,037 | 4,980 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.67 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rome bearers went from 5,037 to 4,980 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 159 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,704 to #6,545.
FAQ
Rome surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rome?
Name Census estimates that about 5,711 living Americans carry the surname Rome. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,017 residents.
How common is Rome?
Rome ranks #6,545 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,980 people with the surname Rome. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,711), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Rome.
Has Rome become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rome went from 5,037 recorded bearers to 4,980. That is a decrease of 57 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,704 to #6,545.
What does the Census say about the background of Rome?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rome, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rome in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.7% (3,570 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rome appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.7%), Black (18.5%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Rome (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 Rome mean?
An English locational surname indicating a person who resided in or originated from the city of Rome, 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 Rome (1.67 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 Rome?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Rome at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.