2000
#24,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 961
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Roosevelt
An Anglicization of the Dutch surname 'Van Rosenvelt', meaning 'of the rose field'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,086 Americans carry the last name Roosevelt. That puts it at #27,027 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 315,612 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roosevelt 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
1.1K
1 in 315,612
Census rank
#27,027
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
947
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 947 bearers of the surname Roosevelt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27027th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roosevelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roosevelt
The surname Roosevelt is of Dutch origin, derived from the Dutch town of Rooseveldt in the province of Zeeland, Netherlands. The name is believed to have emerged in the 16th or 17th century. The town's name is thought to be derived from the Dutch words "roos" (rose) and "veld" (field), meaning "rose field" or "field of roses."
The earliest known record of the Roosevelt surname dates back to the 17th century, when several members of the family emigrated from the Netherlands to the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which later became part of New York. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Claes Martenszen van Rosenvelt, who arrived in New Netherland in the 1640s.
In the late 17th century, the Roosevelt family established themselves as prominent landowners and merchants in New York City and the surrounding area. One notable member of the family was Isaac Roosevelt (1726-1794), a successful businessman and politician who served as a member of the New York Provincial Congress during the American Revolutionary War.
The Roosevelt surname gained significant prominence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries due to the political careers of two cousins, Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945). Theodore Roosevelt served as the 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909, while Franklin D. Roosevelt served as the 32nd President from 1933 to 1945, leading the nation through the Great Depression and World War II.
Other notable individuals with the Roosevelt surname include Anna Roosevelt Cowles (1855-1931), the older sister of Theodore Roosevelt and an author and philanthropist; Edith Roosevelt (1861-1948), the second wife of Theodore Roosevelt and a prominent socialite; and Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), the wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt and a renowned diplomat, activist, and First Lady of the United States.
Over the centuries, the Roosevelt surname has spread across various parts of the world, with branches of the family establishing roots in countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Despite its Dutch origins, the name has become closely associated with American history and politics, particularly due to the prominence of the Roosevelt political dynasty.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roosevelt
Among Census respondents with the surname Roosevelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Roosevelt 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 Roosevelt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.1% · 664
- Black or African American15.8% · 150
- Two or more races5.2% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roosevelt
Roosevelt 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
#24,822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,003
+42 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 416 places
2020
#27,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 947
-56 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Down 2,205 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,406 | 961 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,822 | 1,003 | 0.34 | +42 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 416 places |
| 2020 | #27,027 | 947 | 0.32 | -56 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 2,205 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 Roosevelt 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 | #24,822 | #27,027 | -8.9% |
| Count | 1,003 | 947 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 0.32 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roosevelt bearers went from 1,003 to 947 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 2,205 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,822 to #27,027.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Roosevelt
FAQ
Roosevelt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roosevelt?
Name Census estimates that about 1,086 living Americans carry the surname Roosevelt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 315,612 residents.
How common is Roosevelt?
Roosevelt ranks #27,027 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.32 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 947 people with the surname Roosevelt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,086), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.32 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 Roosevelt.
Has Roosevelt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roosevelt went from 1,003 recorded bearers to 947. That is a decrease of 56 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,822 to #27,027.
What does the Census say about the background of Roosevelt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roosevelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Roosevelt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.1% (664 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roosevelt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.1%), Black (15.8%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Roosevelt (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 Roosevelt mean?
An Anglicization of the Dutch surname 'Van Rosenvelt', meaning 'of the rose field'. 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 Roosevelt (0.32 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 are called Roosevelt?
Find out how many people have the surname Roosevelt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.