2000
#8,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,759
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.39
Rare Last name
Rosier
A French occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold roses or worked in a rose garden.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,364 Americans carry the last name Rosier. That puts it at #8,328 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,541 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rosier 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 Rosier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 78,541
Census rank
#8,328
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,806 bearers of the surname Rosier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8328th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosier, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rosier
The surname Rosier has its origins in France and is derived from the Old French word "rosier," meaning a rose bush or rosebush. The name likely originated from a nickname given to someone who lived near a rosebush or was associated with the cultivation of roses.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Rosier can be traced back to the 12th century in the region of Normandy, France. The Rosier family was documented in the Domesday Book, a manuscript that recorded landowners in England and parts of Wales after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the Rosier surname was commonly found in various regions of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and the Île-de-France region surrounding Paris. Some variations in spelling included Rosiers, Rozier, and Rozière.
One notable individual with the surname Rosier was Jean Rosier, a French poet and scholar who lived in the late 14th century. He was known for his contributions to French literature and poetry during the Renaissance period.
Another prominent figure with the Rosier surname was Pierre Rosier, a French mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 16th century. He was renowned for his work on celestial mechanics and his contributions to the development of the Gregorian calendar.
In the 17th century, Jacques Rosier was a French explorer and navigator who led expeditions to the Americas and the Caribbean. He is known for his detailed accounts of the regions he explored, which provided valuable information for subsequent explorers and cartographers.
The Rosier surname also has a connection to place names in France. For example, the village of Rozier-en-Donzy in the Burgundy region is believed to have derived its name from the French word "rosier," potentially indicating a location associated with rose bushes or gardens.
In the 19th century, Émile Rosier was a prominent French politician and statesman who served as a member of the National Assembly and played a significant role in the establishment of the Third Republic.
Over time, the Rosier surname has spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields, including literature, science, exploration, and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rosier
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosier, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rosier 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 Rosier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.2% · 2,519
- Black or African American26.2% · 996
- Two or more races4.2% · 159
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rosier
Rosier 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
#8,288
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,997
+238 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 164 places
2020
#8,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,806
-191 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 40 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,124 | 3,759 | 1.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,288 | 3,997 | 1.36 | +238 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 164 places |
| 2020 | #8,328 | 3,806 | 1.27 | -191 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 40 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 Rosier 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 | #8,288 | #8,328 | -0.5% |
| Count | 3,997 | 3,806 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.27 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rosier bearers went from 3,997 to 3,806 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 40 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,288 to #8,328.
FAQ
Rosier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rosier?
Name Census estimates that about 4,364 living Americans carry the surname Rosier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,541 residents.
How common is Rosier?
Rosier ranks #8,328 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 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 3,806 people with the surname Rosier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,364), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 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 Rosier.
Has Rosier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rosier went from 3,997 recorded bearers to 3,806. That is a decrease of 191 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,288 to #8,328.
What does the Census say about the background of Rosier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosier, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) 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 Rosier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.2% (2,519 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rosier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.2%), Black (26.2%), 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 Rosier (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 Rosier mean?
A French occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold roses or worked in 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 Rosier (1.27 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 Americans have the surname Rosier?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.