2000
#8,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,792
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Roseman
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold roses, or lived near a rose garden.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,859 Americans carry the last name Roseman. That puts it at #9,281 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,819 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roseman 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 Roseman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 88,819
Census rank
#9,281
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,365 bearers of the surname Roseman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9281st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roseman, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roseman
The surname Roseman is believed to have originated in England, likely during the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "rose" and "man," indicating a person who either cultivated roses or was associated with the rose flower in some way.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Roseman can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, which mention a "William Roseman" as a landowner in the county. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where a "John Roseman" is listed as a resident.
During the medieval period, the Roseman surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, and Yorkshire, possibly indicating the areas where the name originated or where early bearers of the name settled.
In the 14th century, the Roseman surname appears in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, which lists a "Robertus Roseman" as a taxpayer. The name is also found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1334, mentioning a "Richard Roseman."
One notable individual with the Roseman surname was Sir John Roseman, a prominent merchant and alderman of London, who lived during the late 14th and early 15th centuries. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1408 and played a significant role in the city's governance and trade.
Another prominent figure was Thomas Roseman (c. 1555-1624), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Archdeacon of Rochester and wrote several religious works, including commentaries on the Bible.
In the 17th century, a farmer named William Roseman (1637-1718) gained recognition for his innovative agricultural practices and is mentioned in several historical accounts of farming in Lincolnshire.
The Roseman surname is also associated with place names, such as Roseman's Farm in Oxfordshire, which was recorded in 16th-century land records and likely derived its name from an early bearer of the surname.
Throughout the centuries, the Roseman surname has appeared with various spellings, including Rosman, Rosseman, and Rosemon, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spelling before standardization became more common.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roseman
Among Census respondents with the surname Roseman, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Roseman 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 Roseman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.4% · 2,502
- Black or African American18.2% · 613
- Two or more races3.5% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roseman
Roseman 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
#8,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,993
+201 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 236 places
2020
#9,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,365
-628 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 984 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,061 | 3,792 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,297 | 3,993 | 1.35 | +201 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 236 places |
| 2020 | #9,281 | 3,365 | 1.13 | -628 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 984 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 Roseman 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 | #8,297 | #9,281 | -11.9% |
| Count | 3,993 | 3,365 | -15.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.13 | -16.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roseman bearers went from 3,993 to 3,365 (-15.7% change). The surname moved down 984 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,297 to #9,281.
FAQ
Roseman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roseman?
Name Census estimates that about 3,859 living Americans carry the surname Roseman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,819 residents.
How common is Roseman?
Roseman ranks #9,281 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,365 people with the surname Roseman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,859), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Roseman.
Has Roseman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roseman went from 3,993 recorded bearers to 3,365. That is a decrease of 628 (-15.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,297 to #9,281.
What does the Census say about the background of Roseman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roseman, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Roseman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.4% (2,502 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roseman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.4%), Black (18.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Roseman (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 Roseman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold roses, or lived near a rose garden. 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 Roseman (1.13 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 Roseman?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Roseman is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.