2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ronsse
A German surname potentially derived from the name of a town or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Ronsse. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ronsse 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Ronsse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ronsse, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ronsse
The surname Ronsse is of Dutch origin, originating from the Low Countries region of northwestern Europe. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Dutch word "ronne," which means "brown" or "reddish-brown," possibly referring to a person's hair color or complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ronsse can be found in the archives of the city of Ghent, Belgium, where a certain Gilles Ronsse was mentioned in a document dated 1412. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the early 15th century.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Ronsse was Jan Ronsse, a Flemish painter born in Bruges around 1525. His works, primarily religious paintings and portraits, can still be found in churches and museums throughout Belgium and the Netherlands.
Another significant historical figure with the name Ronsse was Pieter Ronsse, a Dutch philosopher and theologian who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Born in 1576 in Leiden, he was a prominent figure in the Dutch Reformation and authored several influential works on theology and ethics.
During the 17th century, the Ronsse name appears to have spread to other parts of Europe. In 1687, a French nobleman named Jacques Ronsse was granted a patent of nobility by King Louis XIV, indicating that the name had gained recognition in France by that time.
In the 19th century, a notable Belgian politician named Louis Ronsse played a significant role in the Belgian Revolution of 1830, which led to the country's independence from the Netherlands. Born in Ghent in 1800, he served as a member of the National Congress and was instrumental in drafting the Belgian Constitution.
Another prominent individual with the surname Ronsse was Emile Ronsse, a Belgian artist and sculptor who lived from 1851 to 1923. He was renowned for his monumental sculptures, many of which can be found in public spaces throughout Belgium, including the famous Zinneke Pis statue in Brussels.
While the surname Ronsse is most commonly associated with the Low Countries region, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval era in the Netherlands and Belgium, where it likely originated as a descriptive name related to physical characteristics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ronsse
Among Census respondents with the surname Ronsse, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ronsse 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 Ronsse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino8.9% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.5% · 5
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ronsse
Ronsse 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+14 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,461 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-10 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,627 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 4,461 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 10,627 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 Ronsse 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 | #137,327 | #147,954 | -7.7% |
| Count | 122 | 112 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ronsse bearers went from 122 to 112 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 10,627 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #147,954.
FAQ
Ronsse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ronsse?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Ronsse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Ronsse?
Ronsse ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Ronsse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Ronsse.
Has Ronsse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ronsse went from 122 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Ronsse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ronsse, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.5%). 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 Ronsse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ronsse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.3%), Hispanic (8.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.5%). 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 Ronsse (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 Ronsse mean?
A German surname potentially derived from the name of a town or location. 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 Ronsse (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 share the surname Ronsse?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.