2000
#527
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,030
First available Census row
Per 100,000 21.14
Uncommon Last name
Roth
A German and Jewish surname referring to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 64,490 Americans carry the last name Roth. That puts it at #583 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,315 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roth 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 Roth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
64K
1 in 5,315
Census rank
#583
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
56K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 56,238 bearers of the surname Roth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 583rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roth
The surname Roth has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages, likely around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the German word "rot," meaning "red," and was likely given as a descriptive surname to someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in various Germanic records and manuscripts from the medieval period, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a compilation of historical documents from Saxony dating back to the 9th century. The name appeared in various spellings, including Roth, Rothe, and Rot.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Konrad Roth, a German nobleman who lived in the late 13th century and was mentioned in the Annales Fuldenses, a medieval chronicle written by the monks of Fulda Abbey.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname began to spread across Europe as German communities migrated to other regions. It became particularly prevalent in areas with strong German cultural influences, such as Switzerland, Austria, and parts of Eastern Europe.
Among the notable historical figures with the surname Roth are Albrecht Roth, a German Renaissance painter and engraver who lived from 1491 to 1548, and Johann Roth, a Swiss-German Protestant reformer and theologian born in 1498 who played a significant role in the Reformation movement.
In the 18th century, the surname gained prominence in the American colonies with the arrival of German immigrants. One of the earliest recorded instances was of Johann Roth, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 and settled in what is now Berks County.
Other notable individuals with the surname Roth include Paul Roth, a German-born American businessman and philanthropist (1859-1935), who founded the Roth Candy Company; and Philip Roth, the celebrated American novelist and two-time winner of the National Book Award (1933-2018).
The name has also been associated with several place names, such as Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a historic town in Bavaria, Germany, and Rothesay, a town on the Isle of Bute in Scotland, which derives its name from the Old Norse "Roth-Soy," meaning "red island."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roth
Among Census respondents with the surname Roth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Roth 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 Roth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 51,795
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,866
- Two or more races2.6% · 1,467
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 657
- Black or African American0.5% · 308
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 145
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roth
Roth 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
#574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 58,278
+1,248 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 19.76
Rank movement Down 47 places
2020
#583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 56,238
-2,040 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 18.82
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #527 | 57,030 | 21.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #574 | 58,278 | 19.76 | +1,248 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 47 places |
| 2020 | #583 | 56,238 | 18.82 | -2,040 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 9 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 Roth 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 | #574 | #583 | -1.6% |
| Count | 58,278 | 56,238 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 19.76 | 18.82 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roth bearers went from 58,278 to 56,238 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #574 to #583.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Roth
FAQ
Roth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roth?
Name Census estimates that about 64,490 living Americans carry the surname Roth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,315 residents.
How common is Roth?
Roth ranks #583 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 19 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 56,238 people with the surname Roth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (64,490), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 19 of them to have the surname Roth.
Has Roth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roth went from 58,278 recorded bearers to 56,238. That is a decrease of 2,040 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #574 to #583.
What does the Census say about the background of Roth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Roth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (51,795 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (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 Roth (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 Roth mean?
A German and Jewish surname referring to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion. 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 Roth (18.82 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 last name Roth?
You can see how many people are called Roth on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.