Find out how popular the last name Romulus is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Romulus.

Romulus, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Romulus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Romulus in America

Romulus is the 35147th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Romulus surname appeared 641 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Romulus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Romulus to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Romulus

The surname Romulus is believed to have originated in ancient Rome, deriving from the legendary founder of the city, Romulus. The name is rooted in the Latin word "romulus," which means "citizen of Rome."

According to Roman mythology, Romulus and his twin brother Remus were abandoned as infants and raised by a she-wolf. Romulus eventually established the city of Rome on the Palatine Hill in 753 BC. He became the first king of Rome and is celebrated as a central figure in the city's founding.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Romulus can be traced back to the medieval period, when it was used by families who claimed descent from the legendary founder. Some of the earliest records of the name can be found in Italian and Latin manuscripts, such as the chronicles of the 12th-century historian Otto of Freising.

One notable bearer of the surname was Romulus Augustulus, also known as Romulus Augustulus Caesar, who was the last Roman emperor to rule the Western Roman Empire. He reigned briefly from 475 to 476 AD before being deposed by the Germanic leader Odoacer.

In the 14th century, a prominent Italian family known as the Romuli or Romoli held significant power and influence in the city of Florence. One of the family's most famous members was Giovanni Romuli, a renowned scholar and diplomat who served as ambassador to the court of King Edward III of England in the mid-14th century.

Another notable figure with the surname Romulus was Petrus Romulus, a 15th-century Italian humanist and poet who lived in the Kingdom of Naples. His work, "De Romanis," was a celebrated poetic tribute to the city of Rome and its rich history.

During the Renaissance period, the name Romulus was also associated with the prominent Romuli family of artists and sculptors from the Italian city of Siena. One of the most renowned members of this family was the sculptor and architect Giovanni di Pietro Romuli, who was active in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

While the surname Romulus is relatively uncommon today, it remains a powerful reminder of the enduring legacy of ancient Rome and its legendary founder, whose name has been carried through the centuries by families and individuals who claimed a connection to this historic figure.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Romulus

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Romulus.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Romulus was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Romulus has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Romulus was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Romulus, please contact us.

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