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

Roswell, 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 Roswell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roswell in America

Roswell is the 38582nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roswell surname appeared 573 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 Roswell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roswell 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 Roswell

The surname Roswell is of English origin, derived from a place name in the county of Shropshire, England. It is believed to have emerged around the 13th century and is thought to be derived from the Old English words "ros" meaning a horse and "well" meaning a spring or stream.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire in 1285, where it appears as "Rosewell." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a location where horses were watered or a place near a stream inhabited by horses.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to places with similar names, such as "Rosewelle" and "Rosewall," which could have been early variations or precursors to the modern surname Roswell.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Sir John Roswell, who was born in 1420 in Shropshire and served as a member of the English Parliament during the reign of King Henry VI.

Another notable figure was William Roswell, born in 1585 in Doncaster, Yorkshire. He was a prominent merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the establishment of trade routes between England and the American colonies in the 17th century.

In the 16th century, the surname Roswell was also found in the records of the parish of St. Mary's in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, where several families with the name were documented.

During the English Civil War in the mid-17th century, a Captain Richard Roswell was mentioned in the accounts of the battles fought between the Parliamentarian and Royalist forces.

Another individual of note was Sir Thomas Roswell, born in 1670 in Leicestershire, who served as a member of the British Parliament and was a prominent figure in the development of the East India Company's trade operations in Asia.

Throughout its history, the surname Roswell has been associated with various locations in England, such as the village of Roswell in Shropshire, which likely gave rise to the place name and subsequently the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roswell

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

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

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

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