2000
#6,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,198
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.93
Rare Last name
Rossman
A surname of German origin referring to a horse breeder or keeper of horses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,422 Americans carry the last name Rossman. That puts it at #6,846 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,215 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rossman 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.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,215
Census rank
#6,846
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,728 bearers of the surname Rossman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6846th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rossman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rossman
The surname ROSSMAN is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the German states of Bavaria and Saxony around the 13th century.
One of the earliest known references to the name ROSSMAN can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents dating back to the 12th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German words "Ross" meaning horse and "Mann" meaning man, suggesting an occupation related to horses or horse breeding.
During the late medieval period, the name ROSSMAN began to appear in various records and manuscripts across central Europe. In 1437, a certain Johannes ROSSMAN was mentioned in the municipal records of the city of Nuremberg, known for its thriving equestrian culture at the time.
The name ROSSMAN is also connected to several place names in Germany, such as Rossmann, a village in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Rossmanndorf, a small town in Saxony. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname ROSSMAN who settled in these areas.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname ROSSMAN is Hans ROSSMAN, a renowned horse trader born in Augsburg, Bavaria, in 1512. Another notable figure was Katharina ROSSMAN (1534-1602), a German midwife and herbalist known for her expertise in natural remedies.
In the 17th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Johann Georg ROSSMAN (1623-1693), a celebrated German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels.
Other notable individuals with the surname ROSSMAN include Friedrich Wilhelm ROSSMAN (1775-1849), a German philosopher and educator, and Carl Gustav ROSSMAN (1819-1892), a prominent German architect who designed several public buildings in Berlin.
While the name ROSSMAN has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the world through migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rossman
Among Census respondents with the surname Rossman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rossman 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 Rossman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 4,333
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 168
- Two or more races2.8% · 132
- Black or African American0.9% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rossman
Rossman 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
#6,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,498
+300 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Down 128 places
2020
#6,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,728
-770 bearers (-14.0%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 626 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,092 | 5,198 | 1.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,220 | 5,498 | 1.86 | +300 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 128 places |
| 2020 | #6,846 | 4,728 | 1.58 | -770 bearers (-14.0%) | Down 626 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 Rossman 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 | #6,220 | #6,846 | -10.1% |
| Count | 5,498 | 4,728 | -14.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.86 | 1.58 | -15.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rossman bearers went from 5,498 to 4,728 (-14.0% change). The surname moved down 626 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,220 to #6,846.
FAQ
Rossman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rossman?
Name Census estimates that about 5,422 living Americans carry the surname Rossman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,215 residents.
How common is Rossman?
Rossman ranks #6,846 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 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 4,728 people with the surname Rossman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,422), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 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 Rossman.
Has Rossman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rossman went from 5,498 recorded bearers to 4,728. That is a decrease of 770 (-14.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,220 to #6,846.
What does the Census say about the background of Rossman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rossman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Rossman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (4,333 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rossman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Rossman (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 Rossman mean?
A surname of German origin referring to a horse breeder or keeper of 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 Rossman (1.58 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 people are called Rossman?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Rossman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.