Find out how popular the last name Roshan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Roshan.

Roshan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Roshan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roshan in America

Roshan is the 48160th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roshan surname appeared 439 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Roshan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roshan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Roshan

The surname Roshan is believed to have originated in Iran, specifically in the region of Persia, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Persian word "roshan," which means "bright" or "luminous." This name likely referred to an individual's physical appearance or personality traits, such as having a radiant or enlightened demeanor.

The name Roshan can be traced back to the 11th century, appearing in various historical records and manuscripts from the region. One of the earliest known references is found in the "Shahnameh," an epic poem written by the renowned Persian poet Ferdowsi, which mentions a character named Roshan.

During the 13th century, the name Roshan gained prominence in the city of Shiraz, which was a center of Persian culture and literature. Several notable scholars and poets from this period bore the surname Roshan, including Saadi Roshan, a celebrated Sufi mystic and poet who lived from 1184 to 1283.

As the Persian Empire expanded and trade routes flourished, the surname Roshan spread to other parts of the Middle East and Central Asia. In the 16th century, records show individuals with the name Roshan residing in cities like Baghdad and Samarkand.

One of the earliest known mentions of the surname Roshan in the Indian subcontinent dates back to the 17th century, when a Persian nobleman named Mirza Roshan Khan served as a courtier in the Mughal Empire under the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb.

Throughout history, the surname Roshan has been associated with various professions, including literature, philosophy, and politics. Notable individuals bearing this surname include:

1. Mirza Asadullah Khan Roshan (1753-1834), an eminent Persian-Indian poet and scholar from Delhi.
2. Roshan Ara Begum (1917-1982), an Indian classical singer and musician renowned for her contributions to the Hindustani classical music tradition.
3. Roshan Ara Bai (1877-1946), an Indian actress and dancer who was a pioneer of the Parsi theatre in the early 20th century.
4. Roshan Mustafa Fateh (1945-2006), a Pakistani diplomat and politician who served as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan from 2002 to 2005.
5. Roshan Bharucha (born 1952), an Indian film director, screenwriter, and playwright known for his works in Hindi cinema and theatre.

The surname Roshan has been associated with various place names and older spellings throughout its history, reflecting the geographic spread and cultural influences it has encountered over time. Examples include the town of Roshana in present-day Afghanistan and the village of Roshanbad in Iran.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roshan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Roshan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Roshan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Roshan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Roshan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Roshan, please contact us.

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