2000
#13,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,018
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Roten
A German toponymic surname referring to someone living near a place cleared by fire or deforestation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,205 Americans carry the last name Roten. That puts it at #14,806 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,444 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roten 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
2.2K
1 in 155,444
Census rank
#14,806
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,923 bearers of the surname Roten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14806th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roten, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roten
The surname Roten is of German origin, with its earliest known references dating back to the early 15th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "roten," which means "to clear land" or "to prepare land for cultivation." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a land clearer or farmer.
Roten is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, which was once part of the Holy Roman Empire. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from this area, such as parish registers and tax records.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Roten, who was mentioned in a land deed from the city of Nuremberg in 1427. Another notable individual was Johann Roten, a farmer from the village of Altdorf who was recorded in the local church records in 1498.
The name Roten also appears in some medieval manuscripts, such as the "Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis," which is a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of Germany by the 16th century.
In terms of place names related to the surname, there is a small village called Roten in the district of Göppingen, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg. This village may have been named after an early settler with the surname Roten, or it could have been derived from the same root word that gave rise to the surname.
Some notable individuals with the surname Roten throughout history include:
1. Johann Roten (1492-1564), a German Protestant reformer and theologian from Nuremberg.
2. Maria Roten (1567-1628), a German painter and illustrator known for her religious works.
3. Hans Roten (1621-1696), a Swiss military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War.
4. Friedrich Roten (1784-1848), a German composer and music teacher from Leipzig.
5. Elisabeth Roten (1882-1964), a German novelist and children's author from Munich.
While the surname Roten may not be as widespread as some other German names, it has a rich history that can be traced back several centuries, with roots in the agricultural traditions of Bavaria and the surrounding regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roten
Among Census respondents with the surname Roten, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Roten 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 Roten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 1,764
- Two or more races3.3% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 50
- Black or African American1.2% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roten
Roten 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
#13,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,263
+245 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 310 places
2020
#14,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,923
-340 bearers (-15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,350 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,766 | 2,018 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,456 | 2,263 | 0.77 | +245 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 310 places |
| 2020 | #14,806 | 1,923 | 0.64 | -340 bearers (-15.0%) | Down 1,350 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 Roten 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 | #13,456 | #14,806 | -10.0% |
| Count | 2,263 | 1,923 | -15.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.64 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roten bearers went from 2,263 to 1,923 (-15.0% change). The surname moved down 1,350 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,456 to #14,806.
FAQ
Roten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roten?
Name Census estimates that about 2,205 living Americans carry the surname Roten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,444 residents.
How common is Roten?
Roten ranks #14,806 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,923 people with the surname Roten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,205), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Roten.
Has Roten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roten went from 2,263 recorded bearers to 1,923. That is a decrease of 340 (-15.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,456 to #14,806.
What does the Census say about the background of Roten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roten, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Roten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (1,764 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Roten (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 Roten mean?
A German toponymic surname referring to someone living near a place cleared by fire or deforestation. 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 Roten (0.64 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 have the surname Roten?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.