2000
#6,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,093
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.89
Rare Last name
Roscoe
From the Old Norse personal name "Hrothgeirr," meaning "famous spear" or "bright spear."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,426 Americans carry the last name Roscoe. That puts it at #6,840 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,169 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roscoe 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Roscoe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,169
Census rank
#6,840
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,732 bearers of the surname Roscoe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6840th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roscoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.2%. The next largest groups are Black (23.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roscoe
The surname Roscoe is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "ros" meaning a rose and "cothu" meaning a cottage or dwelling, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to a person who lived in a cottage surrounded by rose bushes or a rose garden.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Roscho" in reference to a landowner in Lancashire. This spelling variation reflects the evolution of the name over time, as it adapted to regional dialects and linguistic changes.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name began to appear more frequently in various historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is listed as "Roscowe" in Berkshire. The surname's association with specific locations is evident in place names like Roscoe in Cheshire, which likely contributed to the name's dissemination across different regions.
Notable historical figures bearing the Roscoe surname include William Roscoe (1753-1831), an esteemed English historian, banker, and botanist, best known for his influential works on the Italian Renaissance. Another prominent individual was Edward Roscoe (1817-1891), a British railway engineer and inventor who played a significant role in the development of early railway technology.
Henry Enfield Roscoe (1833-1915) was a renowned English chemist and a professor at the University of Manchester, known for his contributions to the field of inorganic chemistry. William Calcraft Roscoe (1823-1859), a British painter and illustrator, gained recognition for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from Italy and Switzerland.
In the literary realm, William Stanley Roscoe (1782-1843), the son of William Roscoe, was a notable poet and author, best known for his works on Italian literature and his translations of Italian poetry into English.
The Roscoe surname has endured through the centuries, with its origins rooted in the English countryside, and its historical significance ranging from academic pursuits to artistic endeavors, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roscoe
Among Census respondents with the surname Roscoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.2%. The next largest groups are Black (23.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Roscoe 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 Roscoe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.2% · 3,225
- Black or African American23.0% · 1,087
- Two or more races4.7% · 222
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 139
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roscoe
Roscoe 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
#6,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,152
+59 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Down 381 places
2020
#6,840
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,732
-420 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 269 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,190 | 5,093 | 1.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,571 | 5,152 | 1.75 | +59 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 381 places |
| 2020 | #6,840 | 4,732 | 1.58 | -420 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 269 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 Roscoe 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 | #6,571 | #6,840 | -4.1% |
| Count | 5,152 | 4,732 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.75 | 1.58 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roscoe bearers went from 5,152 to 4,732 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 269 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,571 to #6,840.
FAQ
Roscoe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roscoe?
Name Census estimates that about 5,426 living Americans carry the surname Roscoe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,169 residents.
How common is Roscoe?
Roscoe ranks #6,840 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,732 people with the surname Roscoe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,426), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Roscoe.
Has Roscoe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roscoe went from 5,152 recorded bearers to 4,732. That is a decrease of 420 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,571 to #6,840.
What does the Census say about the background of Roscoe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roscoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.2%. The next largest groups are Black (23.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Roscoe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.2% (3,225 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roscoe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.2%), Black (23.0%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Roscoe (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 Roscoe mean?
From the Old Norse personal name "Hrothgeirr," meaning "famous spear" or "bright spear." 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 Roscoe (1.58 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 are called Roscoe?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Roscoe on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.