2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Rothley
A habitational surname originating from Rothley, a village in Leicestershire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Rothley. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rothley 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Rothley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rothley, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rothley
The surname Rothley has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the place name Rothley, a village in Leicestershire. The name itself is thought to come from the Old English words "rod" meaning "a cleared area" and "leah" meaning "a woodland clearing or meadow."
The earliest recorded mention of the name Rothley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Rodolai" or "Rodeleia." This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, records show that a certain William de Rothley held lands in Leicestershire, indicating that the surname had become hereditary by that time. Another notable bearer of the name was John Rothley, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the 14th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Rothley family gained prominence in the county of Leicestershire. One notable member was William Rothley (c. 1545-1620), who served as the High Sheriff of Leicestershire in 1596.
In the 18th century, the surname spread to other parts of England, with records showing Rothleys residing in places like Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. A prominent figure from this period was Thomas Rothley (1725-1799), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Nottinghamshire.
As the Rothley surname migrated across England, it evolved into various spelling variations, such as Rothly, Rotheley, and Rotheley. One notable bearer of this variant was Sir John Rotheley (c. 1460-1536), a member of the English gentry and a supporter of the Tudor dynasty.
Other notable individuals with the surname Rothley include:
1. Robert Rothley (c. 1580-1644), an English clergyman and author.
2. Edward Rothley (1692-1758), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Leicestershire.
3. Anne Rothley (1720-1788), a prominent philanthropist and benefactor to several charitable institutions in Leicestershire.
4. William Rothley (1794-1876), a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
5. Mary Rothley (1832-1912), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's education in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rothley
Among Census respondents with the surname Rothley, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rothley 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 Rothley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rothley
Rothley 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-11 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,305 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 19,305 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,412 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 Rothley 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 | #147,253 | #148,665 | -1.0% |
| Count | 112 | 111 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rothley bearers went from 112 to 111 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #148,665.
FAQ
Rothley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rothley?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Rothley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Rothley?
Rothley ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Rothley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rothley.
Has Rothley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rothley went from 112 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Rothley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rothley, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Rothley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rothley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Hispanic (1.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Rothley (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 Rothley mean?
A habitational surname originating from Rothley, a village in Leicestershire, England. 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 Rothley (0.04 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 Rothley?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Rothley at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.