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

Ross, 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 Ross surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ross in America

Ross is the 98th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ross surname appeared 229,368 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 78 people would have the surname Ross.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ross 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 Ross

The surname Ross has its origins in the Scottish Highlands, emerging in the 13th century as a territorial name for those residing in the district of Ross in northern Scotland. It is derived from the Gaelic word "ros," meaning a promontory or headland.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Ross can be traced back to a charter from 1263, which mentions "Hugo de Ross" as a witness. This suggests that the name was already well-established by that time in the region.

In the 14th century, the Ross clan played a prominent role in Scottish history, with the Earl of Ross being a powerful figure in the region. The clan's stronghold was the Rosemarkie Castle, located near the town of Fortrose in Ross-shire.

The surname Ross is also found in historical records such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists several individuals with the name who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. This includes names like Adam de Ros and William de Ross.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Ross include William Ross (c. 1370-1424), a Scottish nobleman and the 5th Earl of Ross, and Sir John Ross (1777-1856), a British naval officer and Arctic explorer who led expeditions to the Arctic in search of the Northwest Passage.

Another significant figure was Alexander Ross (1590-1654), a Scottish philosopher and writer who authored several works on philosophy, religion, and poetry. He is particularly known for his book "Virgilius Evangelizans" (1634), which sought to interpret Virgil's works from a Christian perspective.

In the world of literature, Sinclair Ross (1908-1996) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer, best known for his novel "As for Me and My House" (1941), which depicted the struggles of a prairie family during the Great Depression.

The surname Ross has also been associated with several place names, such as Rosshire, Rosemarkie, and Rosskeen, all located in the Scottish Highlands, reflecting the territorial origins of the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ross

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

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

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

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