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

Rousseau, 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 Rousseau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rousseau in America

Rousseau is the 87663rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rousseau surname appeared 212 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 Rousseau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rousseau 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 Rousseau

The surname ROSSEAU has its origins in France, dating back to the medieval period. It is a variant of the more common French surname "Rousseau," which is derived from the Old French word "rous," meaning "red-haired" or "reddish-brown." This name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion.

The earliest recorded instances of the ROSSEAU surname can be traced back to the 12th and 13th centuries in various regions of France, such as Burgundy, Franche-Comté, and Normandy. During this time, the name appeared in various spellings, including Roussel, Rousselle, Rousselet, and Roussillon, among others.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Claude, a collection of medieval charters from the Abbey of Saint-Claude in the Jura region of France. In this document, dated around 1150, a person named Petrus Rosseau is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.

Another notable historical figure bearing the ROSSEAU surname was Jean Rosseau, a French scholar and theologian who lived in the 15th century. He was born in Dijon around 1420 and served as a professor of theology at the University of Paris. He was known for his writings on religious subjects and his participation in the Council of Basel, a major church council held in the 15th century.

In the 16th century, the ROSSEAU surname gained further prominence with the birth of Jacques Rosseau (1516-1584), a French jurist and legal scholar from Burgundy. He served as a counselor in the Parliament of Paris and was renowned for his expertise in civil and canon law.

Another notable figure was Michel Rosseau (1608-1687), a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics. He was born in Clermont-Ferrand and worked as a professor of mathematics at the Collège de France in Paris.

In the realm of literature, the most famous bearer of the ROSSEAU surname is undoubtedly Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), the renowned Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. Although his surname was spelled differently (Rousseau), he is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of the Enlightenment era, known for his works such as "The Social Contract" and "Emile, or On Education."

While the ROSSEAU surname may have evolved from its French origins and spread to other parts of the world, its historical roots can be traced back to medieval France, where it was likely bestowed as a descriptive nickname for individuals with distinctive red or reddish-brown hair.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rousseau

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

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

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

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