2000
#168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146,924
First available Census row
Per 100,000 54.46
Common Last name
Rose
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a rose garden or in an area known for wild roses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 171,737 Americans carry the last name Rose. That puts it at #179 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 50.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,996 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rose 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 Rose with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
172K
1 in 1,996
Census rank
#179
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
50.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
150K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 149,763 bearers of the surname Rose in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 50.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 179th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rose, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rose
The surname Rose originated in England and is derived from the Old English word 'rose', which was used as a nickname for someone with a rosy complexion or a ruddy face. The name first appeared in records around the 13th century.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, one of the earliest written records of surnames in England, the name Rose is listed as a surname in various counties, including Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Cambridgeshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established by that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rose can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named William Rose is mentioned. Another early example is from the Curia Regis Rolls of Worcestershire from 1221, which lists a Robert le Rose.
The surname Rose is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is recorded as "Roscelin" and "Roise", which were early spellings of the name.
Some notable historical figures with the surname Rose include:
1. William Jonathon Rose (1801-1873), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Southampton.
2. Hugh Rose (1801-1885), a British Army officer who served in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
3. Ernesto Tornquist Rose (1842-1942), an Argentine businessman and philanthropist.
4. Courtice Pounds Rose (1857-1940), a British architect and designer.
5. John Holland Rose (1855-1942), a British historian and scholar.
The surname Rose has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Rosedale in North Yorkshire, Rosedene in Derbyshire, and Rosehill in Nottinghamshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and distribution of the surname in certain regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rose
Among Census respondents with the surname Rose, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rose 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 Rose surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.4% · 117,370
- Black or African American11.7% · 17,492
- Two or more races4.2% · 6,301
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 6,246
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1,440
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 914
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rose
Rose 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
#177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153,397
+6,473 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 52.00
Rank movement Down 9 places
2020
#179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149,763
-3,634 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 50.11
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #168 | 146,924 | 54.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #177 | 153,397 | 52.00 | +6,473 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 9 places |
| 2020 | #179 | 149,763 | 50.11 | -3,634 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 2 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 Rose 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 | #177 | #179 | -1.1% |
| Count | 153,397 | 149,763 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 52.00 | 50.11 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rose bearers went from 153,397 to 149,763 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #177 to #179.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rose
FAQ
Rose surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rose?
Name Census estimates that about 171,737 living Americans carry the surname Rose. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,996 residents.
How common is Rose?
Rose ranks #179 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 50.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 50 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 149,763 people with the surname Rose. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (171,737), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 50.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 50.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 50 of them to have the surname Rose.
Has Rose become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rose went from 153,397 recorded bearers to 149,763. That is a decrease of 3,634 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #177 to #179.
What does the Census say about the background of Rose?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rose, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Rose in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (117,370 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rose appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.4%), Black (11.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Rose (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 Rose mean?
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a rose garden or in an area known for wild 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 Rose (50.11 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 last name Rose?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Rose on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.