Rosmus last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Rosmus

A French surname derived from the Germanic elements "rauz" meaning "brown" and "mund" meaning "protection."

Rosmus, 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 Rosmus surname is from the 2000 census data.

Popularity of Rosmus in America

Rosmus is the 149328th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rosmus surname appeared 101 times in the 2000 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rosmus.

The history of the last name Rosmus

The surname Rosmus has origins that can be traced back to medieval Europe, particularly within the regions of modern-day Denmark and Germany. Its earliest roots are believed to stem from the Old Norse or Old Germanic languages, where "ros" could refer to "rose" and "mus" could signify "mouse", potentially indicating a symbolic or diminutive meaning altogether. Additionally, it could relate to a place name or a topographical feature, involving particular attributes of the landscape, flora, or fauna associated with the bearers of the name.

Historical references to the surname Rosmus appear in several medieval manuscripts and church records. One such mention can be found in a 13th-century Danish record, highlighting the presence of the Rosmus family in Jutland. Similar spellings such as Rosmussen and Rosmuß have been noted in German ecclesiastical documents dating back to the 15th century.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname is Wolfram Rosmus, documented in the 1350 census of Lübeck, a prominent Hanseatic city in Northern Germany. His role as a merchant actively involved in the trade routes of the Baltic and North Seas has been well documented. In another instance, a Johan Rosmus is recorded in 1478 as a landowner in the Duchy of Schleswig, showcasing the spread and establishment of the surname in different socio-economic strata.

Notably, several historical individuals bearing the surname Rosmus have risen to prominence. Johannes Rosmus (1512-1578) was a noted scholar and cleric in Münster who contributed significantly to the theological debates of the Reformation. His works on ecclesiastical law were widely consulted. Heinrich Rosmus, born in 1603 and died in 1661, was a mathematician and astronomer based in Hamburg, known for his advancements in celestial navigation.

In more recent centuries, the surname Rosmus has continued to appear in various historical contexts. Gustav Rosmus (1836-1899), a Prussian military officer, played a key role in the Franco-Prussian War, notably in the Siege of Paris. Marietta Rosmus (1881-1952), an early 20th-century social reformer from Bavaria, was instrumental in the women's suffrage movement and is remembered for her advocacy for educational reforms.

Throughout history, the surname Rosmus has maintained its distinctive presence, primarily within the regions of Denmark and Germany, but also spreading to other parts of Europe and beyond due to various migratory patterns. The surname's meaning and origin, rooted in medieval linguistic and cultural contexts, continue to be subjects of interest for onomatologists and genealogists alike.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rosmus

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

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 2000 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rosmus was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 98.02% 99
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin 0.00% 0

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.

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 Rosmus was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Rosmus last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on August 2, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/rosmus-surname-popularity/.

"Rosmus last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/rosmus-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 August, 2025

Rosmus last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/rosmus-surname-popularity/.

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