2000
#7,073
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,362
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.62
Rare Last name
Rothwell
Derived from a place name meaning "red spring or stream" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,863 Americans carry the last name Rothwell. That puts it at #7,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,482 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rothwell 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 Rothwell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 70,482
Census rank
#7,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,241 bearers of the surname Rothwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rothwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rothwell
The surname Rothwell is of English origin, derived from the place name Rothwell, which itself is composed of the Old English elements "rod" meaning "a clearing" and "well" meaning "a spring or stream." The name is thought to have originated in the 11th century or earlier, during the Anglo-Saxon period in England.
The name Rothwell is associated with various locations in England, particularly the towns of Rothwell in Northamptonshire, Rothwell in West Yorkshire, and Rothwell in Lincolnshire. These place names likely predate the surname and may have been the original sources from which the surname evolved as people began using the place name as a means of identification.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rothwell appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Rodewelle" in reference to the Rothwell manor in Northamptonshire.
In the 13th century, the surname Rothwell is found in various historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which documented landowners and their holdings. The name is also present in the Subsidy Rolls of the 14th century, which recorded taxpayers across England.
Notable individuals with the surname Rothwell throughout history include:
1. John Rothwell (c. 1470 - c. 1535), an English Benedictine monk and scholar who served as the Bishop of Elphin in Ireland.
2. Richard Rothwell (1563 - 1627), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
3. Edward Rothwell (1644 - 1688), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds.
4. John Rothwell (1667 - 1736), an English lawyer and antiquarian who published works on the history of Yorkshire.
5. Sir Percival Rothwell (1879 - 1957), a British businessman and philanthropist who served as the Lord Mayor of Liverpool from 1935 to 1936.
The surname Rothwell has also been associated with various place names and locations, such as Rothwell Haigh in West Yorkshire, Rothwell Woodlands in Northamptonshire, and Rothwell Green in Lincolnshire. These place names likely reflect the historical presence and influence of families bearing the Rothwell surname in these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rothwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Rothwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rothwell 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 Rothwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.2% · 3,614
- Black or African American7.9% · 334
- Two or more races3.1% · 133
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rothwell
Rothwell 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
#7,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,579
+217 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 206 places
2020
#7,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,241
-338 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 275 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,073 | 4,362 | 1.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,279 | 4,579 | 1.55 | +217 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 206 places |
| 2020 | #7,554 | 4,241 | 1.42 | -338 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 275 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 Rothwell 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 | #7,279 | #7,554 | -3.8% |
| Count | 4,579 | 4,241 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.42 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rothwell bearers went from 4,579 to 4,241 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 275 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,279 to #7,554.
FAQ
Rothwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rothwell?
Name Census estimates that about 4,863 living Americans carry the surname Rothwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,482 residents.
How common is Rothwell?
Rothwell ranks #7,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 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 4,241 people with the surname Rothwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,863), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 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 Rothwell.
Has Rothwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rothwell went from 4,579 recorded bearers to 4,241. That is a decrease of 338 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,279 to #7,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Rothwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rothwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Rothwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.2% (3,614 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rothwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.2%), Black (7.9%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Rothwell (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 Rothwell mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "red spring or stream" in Old English. 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 Rothwell (1.42 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 common is the surname Rothwell?
Find out how common the surname Rothwell is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.