Ros last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Ros

A Spanish and Catalan nickname derived from the word "ros," meaning "red" or "ruddy," likely referring to red hair or complexion.

Ros, 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 Ros surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ros in America

Ros is the 13682nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ros surname appeared 2,213 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ros.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ros 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 13682 14250 -4.07%
Count 2,213 1,931 13.61%
Proportion per 100k 0.75 0.72 4.08%

The history of the last name Ros

The surname Ros has its origins in Spain and dates back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Catalan word "ros," meaning "red-haired" or "reddish." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone with reddish hair or complexion.

In the early days, the name was spelled in various ways, such as Ros, Roz, Rosse, and Roig. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Catalonia and Valencia, where it was particularly prevalent during the medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ros can be found in the Llibre del Repartiment, a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of lands and properties in the Kingdom of Valencia after the Reconquista.

The surname Ros has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Ramon de Ros, a Catalan nobleman who lived in the 13th century and served as a military commander during the Reconquest of Valencia.

Another prominent individual bearing this name was Pedro Ros de Ursinos, a Spanish admiral and diplomat from the 16th century, who played a significant role in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.

In the 17th century, Juan Ros de Olano was a Spanish writer and historian who authored several works on the history of Valencia and its nobility.

Moving to the 18th century, José Ros de Olano y Peralta (1670-1738) was a Spanish military officer and viceroy of New Granada (present-day Colombia and Panama) from 1719 to 1723.

In the 19th century, Joaquín Ros de Olano (1808-1886) was a Spanish lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Justice and the Interior during the reign of Queen Isabella II.

Over the centuries, the surname Ros has spread beyond Spain and can be found in various parts of Europe, Latin America, and other regions with Spanish influence. However, its origins and early development can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula, particularly the regions of Catalonia and Valencia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ros

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

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 Ros was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 18.98% 420
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.27% 28
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 54.86% 1,214
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.76% 39
Hispanic Origin 23.14% 512

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 Ros has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 18.98% 24.03% -23.48%
Black 1.27% 2.33% -58.89%
Asian and Pacific Islander 54.86% 45.88% 17.83%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 1.76% 5.02% -96.17%
Hispanic 23.14% 22.73% 1.79%

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 Ros was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Ros last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 15, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/ros-surname-popularity/.

"Ros last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/ros-surname-popularity/. Accessed 15 October, 2024

Ros last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/ros-surname-popularity/.

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