2000
#62,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 298
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Roshan
A surname of Persian origin meaning "enlightened" or "luminous".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 737 Americans carry the last name Roshan. That puts it at #37,267 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 465,067 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roshan 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 Roshan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
737
1 in 465,067
Census rank
#37,267
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
643
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 643 bearers of the surname Roshan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37267th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roshan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 54.1%. The next largest groups are White (34.2%) and Two or More Races (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roshan
Among Census respondents with the surname Roshan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 54.1%. The next largest groups are White (34.2%) and Two or More Races (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Roshan 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 Roshan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander54.1% · 348
- White34.2% · 220
- Two or more races7.9% · 51
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 15
- Black or African American0.9% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roshan
Roshan 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
#48,160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 439
+141 bearers (+47.3%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 14,615 places
2020
#37,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 643
+204 bearers (+46.5%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 10,893 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #62,775 | 298 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #48,160 | 439 | 0.15 | +141 bearers (+47.3%) | Up 14,615 places |
| 2020 | #37,267 | 643 | 0.22 | +204 bearers (+46.5%) | Up 10,893 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 Roshan 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 | #48,160 | #37,267 | 22.6% |
| Count | 439 | 643 | 46.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.22 | 43.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roshan bearers went from 439 to 643 (+46.5% change). The surname moved up 10,893 positions in the national ranking, going from #48,160 to #37,267.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Roshan
FAQ
Roshan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roshan?
Name Census estimates that about 737 living Americans carry the surname Roshan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 465,067 residents.
How common is Roshan?
Roshan ranks #37,267 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 643 people with the surname Roshan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (737), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Roshan.
Has Roshan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roshan went from 439 recorded bearers to 643. That is an increase of 204 (+46.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #48,160 to #37,267.
What does the Census say about the background of Roshan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roshan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 54.1%. The next largest groups are White (34.2%) and Two or More Races (7.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Roshan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.1% (348 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roshan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (54.1%), White (34.2%), Two or More Races (7.9%). 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 Roshan (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 Roshan mean?
A surname of Persian origin meaning "enlightened" or "luminous". 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 Roshan (0.22 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 Roshan?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Roshan? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.