2000
#4,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,604
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.82
Rare Last name
Rosser
An English occupational surname for someone who bred or trained horses, derived from Old French "rosser" meaning "to train horses."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,458 Americans carry the last name Rosser. That puts it at #4,662 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rosser 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 Rosser with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,524
Census rank
#4,662
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,376 bearers of the surname Rosser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4662nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosser, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rosser
The surname Rosser is of Welsh origin, and it is believed to have originated in the region of Glamorgan, Wales, during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Welsh word "rhosyr," which means a person who lived near a small valley or a moorland.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Rosser can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest documented bearers of this surname was Rhys Rosser, who lived in Glamorgan in the late 13th century. The Rosser family is also mentioned in several historical records from the same region, including the Cwmdu Manuscripts, which date back to the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name Rosser was found in various spellings, such as Rhoser, Roser, and Rosyr, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. One notable bearer of this surname during this period was William Rosser, a Welsh clergyman and author who lived from 1508 to 1580.
As the surname Rosser spread across Wales and beyond, it became associated with several place names, including Rosser Fawr and Rosser Fach, which were small villages in Glamorgan. The name was also linked to the Rosser family estate, which was located in the same region.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname Rosser. One of them was John Rosser (1635-1700), a Welsh clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious topics. Another prominent figure was Thomas Rosser (1762-1846), a Welsh landowner and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the coal industry in South Wales.
In the 19th century, the name Rosser gained prominence with the birth of William Rosser (1829-1915), a Welsh-born American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Texas. Additionally, Walter Rosser (1888-1967), an American mathematician and logician, made significant contributions to the field of set theory and logic.
The surname Rosser has also been associated with notable figures in the arts and literature. One such individual was Charles Rosser (1879-1954), an American playwright and screenwriter who worked in Hollywood during the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rosser
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosser, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rosser 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 Rosser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.2% · 4,658
- Black or African American28.7% · 2,116
- Two or more races4.5% · 332
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 199
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rosser
Rosser 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
#4,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,043
+439 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 2.73
Rank movement Down 92 places
2020
#4,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,376
-667 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 2.47
Rank movement Down 245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,325 | 7,604 | 2.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,417 | 8,043 | 2.73 | +439 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 92 places |
| 2020 | #4,662 | 7,376 | 2.47 | -667 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 245 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 Rosser 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 | #4,417 | #4,662 | -5.5% |
| Count | 8,043 | 7,376 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.73 | 2.47 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rosser bearers went from 8,043 to 7,376 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 245 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,417 to #4,662.
FAQ
Rosser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rosser?
Name Census estimates that about 8,458 living Americans carry the surname Rosser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,524 residents.
How common is Rosser?
Rosser ranks #4,662 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,376 people with the surname Rosser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,458), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Rosser.
Has Rosser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rosser went from 8,043 recorded bearers to 7,376. That is a decrease of 667 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,417 to #4,662.
What does the Census say about the background of Rosser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosser, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Rosser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.2% (4,658 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rosser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.2%), Black (28.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Rosser (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 Rosser mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who bred or trained horses, derived from Old French "rosser" meaning "to train horses." 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 Rosser (2.47 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 Rosser?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.