2000
#7,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,319
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Roof
Occupational surname for someone who built or repaired roofs, or lived in a house with a prominent roof.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,940 Americans carry the last name Roof. That puts it at #7,461 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,383 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roof 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
4.9K
1 in 69,383
Census rank
#7,461
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,308 bearers of the surname Roof in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7461st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roof, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roof
The surname "ROOF" is of Anglo-Saxon origin and can be traced back to the Old English word "hrof", meaning "roof" or "covering". It was likely initially used as a descriptive name for someone who lived or worked under a particular roof or dwelling.
This surname first appeared in England during the medieval period, as early as the 11th century. One of the earliest records of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners and property holders in England after the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the name was sometimes spelled as "Roufe" or "Roffe", reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era. Place names such as Rufforth in Yorkshire may have influenced the development of the surname in certain regions.
One notable bearer of the surname was John Roof (c. 1520-1585), an English Protestant reformer and Bishop of Norwich. He played a significant role in the Reformation and was a prominent figure during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another early example is Thomas Roof (c. 1560-1630), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, in the early 17th century.
In the 18th century, the surname was also found in Scotland, where it was sometimes spelled as "Ruffe". One notable Scot bearing this name was James Ruffe (1712-1782), a poet and author who wrote works on agriculture and rural life.
In the 19th century, the surname spread to other parts of the English-speaking world through emigration. One notable American with this surname was John Roof (1828-1912), a prominent businessman and banker in Pennsylvania.
Another notable figure was James Roof (1857-1932), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roof
Among Census respondents with the surname Roof, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Roof 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 Roof surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 3,951
- Two or more races3.4% · 148
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 107
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 43
- Black or African American0.9% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roof
Roof 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
#7,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,494
+175 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 271 places
2020
#7,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,308
-186 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,135 | 4,319 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,406 | 4,494 | 1.52 | +175 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 271 places |
| 2020 | #7,461 | 4,308 | 1.44 | -186 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 55 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 Roof 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 | #7,406 | #7,461 | -0.7% |
| Count | 4,494 | 4,308 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.44 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roof bearers went from 4,494 to 4,308 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,406 to #7,461.
FAQ
Roof surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roof?
Name Census estimates that about 4,940 living Americans carry the surname Roof. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,383 residents.
How common is Roof?
Roof ranks #7,461 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,308 people with the surname Roof. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,940), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Roof.
Has Roof become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roof went from 4,494 recorded bearers to 4,308. That is a decrease of 186 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,406 to #7,461.
What does the Census say about the background of Roof?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roof, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Roof in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (3,951 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roof appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Roof (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 Roof mean?
Occupational surname for someone who built or repaired roofs, or lived in a house with a prominent roof. 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 Roof (1.44 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 Roof?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.