2000
#108,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 151
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Ronstadt
A surname of German origin derived from a place name relating to a clearing in the woods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 174 Americans carry the last name Ronstadt. That puts it at #120,164 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,969,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ronstadt 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
174
1 in 1,969,853
Census rank
#120,164
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
152
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 152 bearers of the surname Ronstadt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 120164th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ronstadt, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (33.6%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ronstadt
The surname Ronstadt is of German origin, derived from the place name Ronstadt, located in the region of Franconia, Bavaria. The name can be traced back to the 13th century and is believed to have originated from the German words "ron" meaning "to clear" and "stadt" meaning "town or city," suggesting it may have been a reference to a settlement that was established through the clearing of a forested area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ronstadt can be found in the Augsburg Stadt-Buch, a historical record of citizens in the city of Augsburg, dating back to the year 1368. This document mentions a certain "Hanns Ronstadt," who was a resident of the city at that time.
In the late 15th century, the surname Ronstadt appeared in various records and manuscripts across different parts of Germany, such as the Nürnberger Halsgericht, which documented legal proceedings in the city of Nuremberg. During this period, the name was also associated with several notable individuals, including Johann Ronstadt (1460-1535), a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
As the years progressed, the Ronstadt family dispersed across various regions of Germany and beyond. In the 17th century, a branch of the family settled in the town of Ober-Ramstadt, located in the state of Hesse, where they became prominent landowners and civic leaders. One notable member of this lineage was Christoph Ronstadt (1632-1702), who served as the mayor of Ober-Ramstadt for several years.
In the 19th century, the surname Ronstadt gained further recognition with the birth of Friedrich August Ronstadt (1819-1891), a renowned German composer and conductor who contributed significantly to the development of choral music in his home country.
Another notable individual bearing the surname Ronstadt was Hans Ronstadt (1888-1963), a German-American architect and engineer who played a crucial role in the development of several iconic buildings in the United States, including the Empire State Building in New York City.
While the name Ronstadt has been present throughout various historical records and associated with notable individuals over the centuries, it is important to note that this information focuses solely on the surname itself, excluding its use as a first or given name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ronstadt
Among Census respondents with the surname Ronstadt, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (33.6%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ronstadt 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 Ronstadt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.1% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino33.6% · 51
- Two or more races1.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ronstadt
Ronstadt 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
#106,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 168
+17 bearers (+11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 2,638 places
2020
#120,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 152
-16 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 14,068 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #108,734 | 151 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #106,096 | 168 | 0.06 | +17 bearers (+11.3%) | Up 2,638 places |
| 2020 | #120,164 | 152 | 0.05 | -16 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 14,068 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 Ronstadt 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 | #106,096 | #120,164 | -13.3% |
| Count | 168 | 152 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.05 | -15.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ronstadt bearers went from 168 to 152 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 14,068 positions in the national ranking, going from #106,096 to #120,164.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ronstadt
FAQ
Ronstadt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ronstadt?
Name Census estimates that about 174 living Americans carry the surname Ronstadt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,969,853 residents.
How common is Ronstadt?
Ronstadt ranks #120,164 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 152 people with the surname Ronstadt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (174), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Ronstadt.
Has Ronstadt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ronstadt went from 168 recorded bearers to 152. That is a decrease of 16 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #106,096 to #120,164.
What does the Census say about the background of Ronstadt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ronstadt, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (33.6%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Ronstadt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.1% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ronstadt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.1%), Hispanic (33.6%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Ronstadt (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 Ronstadt mean?
A surname of German origin derived from a place name relating to a clearing in the woods. 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 Ronstadt (0.05 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 Ronstadt?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Ronstadt, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.