Find out how popular the last name Root is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Root.

Root, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Root surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Root in America

Root is the 1770th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Root surname appeared 20,284 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Root.

We can also compare 2010 data for Root to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Root

The surname Root has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from places called Root, which were found in Northumberland and Yorkshire. The name comes from the Old English word 'rot', meaning a rooting or clearing in a forest.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are a few references to people with the name Root or similar spellings. For example, a man named Rot is listed as holding lands in Cambridgeshire, while another entry mentions a place called Rotinges in Suffolk.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Root dates back to 1275, when a Robert le Rote is mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire. Other early spellings include Rote, Rott, and Roote.

The surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Nottinghamshire. Some notable historical figures with the name Root include:

1. Thomas Root (c. 1605-1694), an early Puritan settler in Connecticut, considered one of the founders of the town of Farmington.

2. Jesse Root (1737-1822), an American minister and educator who served as the second president of Dartmouth College from 1793 to 1815.

3. Elihu Root (1845-1937), an American lawyer, statesman, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as the 38th United States Secretary of War and the 38th United States Secretary of State.

4. Charles Root (1863-1959), an American beekeeper and inventor who developed the Root Smoker and the Root Honey Extractor, which revolutionized beekeeping practices.

5. Waverley Root (1903-1982), an American writer, journalist, and scholar who specialized in food and wine. He wrote several books on French gastronomy and helped popularize French cuisine in the United States.

The surname Root has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Root Farm in Worcestershire, Root Hill in Nottinghamshire, and Root Town in Yorkshire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Root

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Root.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Root was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Root has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Root was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Root, please contact us.

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