2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ronhovde
A Norwegian habitational surname derived from a farmstead name meaning "clearing on the ridge".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Ronhovde. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ronhovde 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Ronhovde in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ronhovde, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ronhovde
The surname Ronhovde originated in Norway during the late medieval period, around the 13th to 15th centuries. It is derived from the Old Norse words "ronn" meaning a species of alder tree, and "hovde" meaning a hill or elevated ground. The name likely referred to a person who lived near or owned land with alder trees growing on a hill or elevated area.
The earliest known record of the name Ronhovde dates back to 1523, when it was mentioned in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents and charters. In these records, the name was spelled as "Ronnhoffde" and referred to a family from the Møre og Romsdal region of western Norway.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Ronhovde was Einar Ronhovde, born in 1624 in Herøy, Møre og Romsdal. He was a farmer and landowner who played a significant role in the local community. Another notable figure was Hans Ronhovde (1732-1811), a respected merchant and ship owner from Ålesund, who traded goods along the Norwegian coast and across the North Sea.
In the 19th century, the Ronhovde surname gained prominence with Ola Ronhovde (1823-1897), a Norwegian-American immigrant who settled in Wisconsin and became a prominent farmer and community leader. His son, Nils Ronhovde (1856-1931), was a Lutheran minister and educator who founded several churches and schools in the Midwest.
Another significant figure was Ingrid Ronhovde (1885-1962), a Norwegian suffragist and women's rights activist who campaigned for equal rights and the right to vote for women in Norway. She was also involved in various social and humanitarian causes throughout her life.
The Ronhovde name has been carried on by individuals in various fields, including Bjørn Ronhovde (1910-1989), a Norwegian writer and journalist, and Arne Ronhovde (born 1946), a Norwegian politician who served as a member of the Storting (Norwegian Parliament) for several terms.
While the Ronhovde surname is relatively rare, it has a rich history rooted in the rugged landscapes of western Norway, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions to their communities, both in their homeland and as immigrants to other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ronhovde
Among Census respondents with the surname Ronhovde, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ronhovde 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 Ronhovde surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 101
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ronhovde
Ronhovde appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,944 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 2,944 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 Ronhovde 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 | #149,395 | #152,339 | -2.0% |
| Count | 110 | 106 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ronhovde bearers went from 110 to 106 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 2,944 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #152,339.
FAQ
Ronhovde surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ronhovde?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Ronhovde. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Ronhovde?
Ronhovde ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Ronhovde. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Ronhovde.
Has Ronhovde become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ronhovde went from 110 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Ronhovde?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ronhovde, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Ronhovde in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ronhovde appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Two or More Races (1.9%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Ronhovde (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 Ronhovde mean?
A Norwegian habitational surname derived from a farmstead name meaning "clearing on the ridge". 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 Ronhovde (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 Ronhovde?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Ronhovde? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.