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

Roth, 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 Roth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roth in America

Roth is the 574th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roth surname appeared 58,278 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 20 people would have the surname Roth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roth 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 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records and manuscripts from the medieval period, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a compilation of historical documents from Saxony dating back to the 9th century.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."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roth

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

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

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

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