2000
#11,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,479
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Rosenzweig
A Jewish ornamental surname referring to a rose branch or twig, derived from the German words "Rose" and "Zweig."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,836 Americans carry the last name Rosenzweig. That puts it at #12,048 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,858 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rosenzweig 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
2.8K
1 in 120,858
Census rank
#12,048
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,473 bearers of the surname Rosenzweig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12048th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosenzweig, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rosenzweig
The surname Rosenzweig originates from Germany and is a compound of the German words "Rose" meaning rose and "Zweig" meaning branch or twig. It likely originated as a descriptive name referring to either someone who lived near a rose bush or cultivated roses.
The name can be traced back to the 14th century in various parts of Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria, Saxony, and Rhineland. Early spellings of the name included Rosenzweig, Rosenzweick, and Rosenzweyg.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the records of the city of Nuremberg in 1387, where a certain Hans Rosenzweig is mentioned as a merchant and landowner. Another early reference is found in the archives of the town of Freiburg im Breisgau from 1412, where a Michael Rosenzweig is listed as a member of the town council.
In the 16th century, the name is found in various records across Germany, including court documents, guild registers, and church records. One notable figure was Johannes Rosenzweig (1491-1562), a Lutheran theologian and reformer from Saxony, who was a close associate of Martin Luther.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name spread to other parts of Europe, particularly Poland and the Netherlands, due to migration and trade. One notable bearer was Abraham Rosenzweig (1672-1737), a Dutch philosopher and theologian who was a prominent figure in the Jewish Enlightenment movement.
Other notable individuals with the surname Rosenzweig include:
1. Franz Rosenzweig (1886-1929), a German-Jewish philosopher and theologian, known for his work "The Star of Redemption".
2. Adolf Rosenzweig (1858-1942), a German-Jewish businessman and philanthropist, who founded the Rosenzweig Foundation for Jewish education.
3. Lore Rosenzweig (1904-1994), a German-American sculptor and artist, known for her bronze sculptures and public art installations.
4. Paul Rosenzweig (1900-1976), an Austrian-American author and journalist, who wrote extensively on Jewish history and culture.
5. George Rosenzweig (1916-2005), an American physicist and professor, who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics.
While the surname Rosenzweig has its roots in Germany, it has since spread across the globe and can be found among various ethnic and cultural groups, particularly those of Jewish descent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rosenzweig
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosenzweig, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rosenzweig 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 Rosenzweig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,280
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 96
- Two or more races2.1% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 35
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rosenzweig
Rosenzweig 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
#12,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,510
+31 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 777 places
2020
#12,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,473
-37 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 345 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,616 | 2,479 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,393 | 2,510 | 0.85 | +31 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 777 places |
| 2020 | #12,048 | 2,473 | 0.83 | -37 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 345 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 Rosenzweig 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 | #12,393 | #12,048 | 2.8% |
| Count | 2,510 | 2,473 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.83 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rosenzweig bearers went from 2,510 to 2,473 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 345 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,393 to #12,048.
FAQ
Rosenzweig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rosenzweig?
Name Census estimates that about 2,836 living Americans carry the surname Rosenzweig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,858 residents.
How common is Rosenzweig?
Rosenzweig ranks #12,048 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,473 people with the surname Rosenzweig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,836), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Rosenzweig.
Has Rosenzweig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rosenzweig went from 2,510 recorded bearers to 2,473. That is a decrease of 37 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,393 to #12,048.
What does the Census say about the background of Rosenzweig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosenzweig, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Rosenzweig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,280 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rosenzweig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Rosenzweig (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 Rosenzweig mean?
A Jewish ornamental surname referring to a rose branch or twig, derived from the German words "Rose" and "Zweig." 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 Rosenzweig (0.83 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 Rosenzweig?
See how many people are called Rosenzweig on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.