2000
#1,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,050
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.51
Uncommon Last name
Rosas
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from the plural of rosa, meaning "rose," likely referring to a place abundant with roses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 49,097 Americans carry the last name Rosas. That puts it at #786 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 14.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,981 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rosas 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
49K
1 in 6,981
Census rank
#786
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
14.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
43K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 42,815 bearers of the surname Rosas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 14.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 786th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rosas
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rosas 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 Rosas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.1% · 40,307
- White4.6% · 1,952
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 248
- Black or African American0.3% · 124
- Two or more races0.2% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 85
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rosas
Rosas 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
#765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,938
+13,888 bearers (+44.7%)
Per 100,000 15.23
Rank movement Up 265 places
2020
#786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,815
-2,123 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 14.32
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,030 | 31,050 | 11.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #765 | 44,938 | 15.23 | +13,888 bearers (+44.7%) | Up 265 places |
| 2020 | #786 | 42,815 | 14.32 | -2,123 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 21 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 Rosas 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 | #765 | #786 | -2.7% |
| Count | 44,938 | 42,815 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 15.23 | 14.32 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rosas bearers went from 44,938 to 42,815 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #765 to #786.
FAQ
Rosas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rosas?
Name Census estimates that about 49,097 living Americans carry the surname Rosas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,981 residents.
How common is Rosas?
Rosas ranks #786 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 14.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 42,815 people with the surname Rosas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (49,097), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 14.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 14.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Rosas.
Has Rosas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rosas went from 44,938 recorded bearers to 42,815. That is a decrease of 2,123 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #765 to #786.
What does the Census say about the background of Rosas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Rosas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (40,307 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rosas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.1%), White (4.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Rosas (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 Rosas mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from the plural of rosa, meaning "rose," likely referring to a place abundant with roses. 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 Rosas (14.32 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 Americans have the surname Rosas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.