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

Rosas, 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 Rosas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rosas in America

Rosas is the 765th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rosas surname appeared 44,938 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 15 people would have the surname Rosas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rosas 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 Rosas

The surname Rosas is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period. It likely derived from the Spanish word "rosa," meaning rose, which was a common symbol and emblem used in heraldry and coat of arms designs. The name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near a rose garden or had an association with the cultivation of roses.

In the early records, the surname is often found spelled in various ways, such as Rosa, Rosas, Roses, and Rozas. One of the earliest known references to the name Rosas can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain, dating back to the 11th century.

During the 12th century, there are mentions of individuals bearing the surname Rosas in various regions of Spain, including Catalonia, Aragon, and Castile. For instance, a certain Don Pedro de Rosas is recorded as a nobleman and landowner in the kingdom of Aragon around 1160.

In the 13th century, the name Rosas gained further prominence with the establishment of the town of Rosas (now called Roses) in Catalonia, which was named after a nearby rose garden. This place name likely contributed to the widespread use of the surname Rosas in the region.

One notable figure with the surname Rosas from this period was Juan de Rosas, a Spanish military commander who participated in the Reconquista against the Moors in the late 13th century. He was born around 1260 and is known for his bravery in the Battle of Rio Salado in 1340.

Another historically significant individual was Doña María de Rosas, a wealthy noblewoman from Seville who lived in the 15th century. She was a patron of the arts and literature and is credited with commissioning several important works during the Renaissance period in Spain.

In the 16th century, Hernán de Rosas was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. He was born around 1490 and played a crucial role in the fall of the Aztec Empire.

During the 17th century, Francisco de Rosas y Argote was a prominent Spanish playwright and poet. Born in Seville in 1615, he was known for his contributions to the Spanish Golden Age of literature.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the surname Rosas spread to various parts of the Americas, including Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina, where it remains a common surname to this day.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rosas

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

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

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

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