2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rosaldo
From the Italian words "rosa" meaning rose and "aldo" meaning noble or leader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Rosaldo. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rosaldo 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Rosaldo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosaldo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (41.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rosaldo
The surname Rosaldo is of Spanish origin, derived from the word "rosado," meaning "pink" or "rosy." It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Spain, particularly in the Basque Country and Navarre, during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rosaldo name can be found in the Becerro Galicano de Las Behetrías de Castilla, a medieval manuscript from the 14th century that documented landowners and their properties in the region of Castile.
The name is thought to have been initially associated with people involved in the cultivation of roses or those who resided in areas known for their abundance of rose bushes. Variations of the name, such as Rosales and Rosalez, also emerged over time.
In the 16th century, records indicate that a prominent family bearing the Rosaldo surname settled in the city of Seville, where they played a significant role in the local governance and economy. One notable figure from this family was Diego Rosaldo, a merchant and landowner who lived from 1542 to 1612.
Another figure of historical significance was María Rosaldo, a nun and writer who lived in the 17th century. Born in Zaragoza in 1623, she authored several religious texts and was known for her poetic works.
During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the Rosaldo name made its way to the New World. Juan Rosaldo, born in 1687 in Seville, was among the early settlers in the Spanish colony of Florida, where he established a successful plantation and became a prominent figure in the local community.
In the 19th century, José Rosaldo, a military officer born in 1812 in Santander, Spain, gained recognition for his bravery and leadership during the Carlist Wars, a series of civil conflicts over the succession to the Spanish throne.
Renowned anthropologist Renato Rosaldo, born in 1941 in Tucson, Arizona, is another notable figure with this surname. His pioneering work in the field of cultural anthropology and his research on the Ilongot people of the Philippines have made significant contributions to the understanding of different cultures and societies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rosaldo
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosaldo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (41.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rosaldo 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 Rosaldo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino57.3% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander41.9% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rosaldo
Rosaldo appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 129 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 Rosaldo 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 | #144,141 | #144,270 | -0.1% |
| Count | 115 | 117 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rosaldo bearers went from 115 to 117 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #144,270.
FAQ
Rosaldo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rosaldo?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Rosaldo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Rosaldo?
Rosaldo ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Rosaldo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Rosaldo.
Has Rosaldo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rosaldo went from 115 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Rosaldo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosaldo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (41.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rosaldo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.3% (67 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rosaldo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (57.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (41.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Rosaldo (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 Rosaldo mean?
From the Italian words "rosa" meaning rose and "aldo" meaning noble or leader. 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 Rosaldo (0.04 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 surname Rosaldo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.