2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rottschafer
A German surname originating as a name for one who makes wagon wheels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Rottschafer. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rottschafer 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Rottschafer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rottschafer, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rottschafer
The surname Rottschafer is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the late 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German words "Rott" and "Schafer," meaning "red" and "shepherd," respectively. This suggests that the original bearers of the name may have been shepherds or those associated with sheep farming, with the "red" component possibly referring to the color of their hair or clothing.
One of the earliest known mentions of the Rottschafer name can be found in the parish records of the town of Wittenberg, in what was then the Electorate of Saxony, dating back to 1583. These records document the birth of a child named Hans Rottschafer, whose parents were likely among the earliest bearers of the surname.
In the 17th century, the Rottschafer name began to appear in various other regions of Germany, particularly in the states of Hesse and Bavaria. Notable individuals from this period include Johannes Rottschafer, a farmer born in the village of Alsfeld, Hesse, in 1622, and Anna Rottschafer, who was recorded as a resident of the town of Bamberg, Bavaria, in 1679.
As the centuries passed, the Rottschafer name continued to spread across Germany and into neighboring regions. In the 18th century, a family bearing the name settled in the town of Strasbourg, then part of the French region of Alsace. One of their descendants, Johann Rottschafer, born in 1754, became a prominent merchant and landowner in the area.
Moving into the 19th century, the Rottschafer name gained further recognition with the rise of Wilhelm Rottschafer, a German philosopher and academic born in 1811 in the city of Heidelberg. His works on ethics and moral philosophy were widely studied and debated throughout the academic circles of his time.
Another notable figure from this period was Katharina Rottschafer, a pioneering educator born in the town of Kassel in 1835. She founded one of the first schools for girls in the region, paving the way for greater access to education for women in Germany.
As the 20th century dawned, the Rottschafer name continued to be carried by individuals across various fields and professions. One such individual was Hans Rottschafer, a German soldier who served in World War I and was awarded the Iron Cross for his bravery on the battlefield. He was born in 1892 in the city of Munich and survived the war, passing away in 1967.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rottschafer
Among Census respondents with the surname Rottschafer, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rottschafer 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 Rottschafer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 98
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rottschafer
Rottschafer 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
+9 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 158 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-10 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,502 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.7%) | Down 158 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 7,502 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 Rottschafer 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 | #154,755 | -5.1% |
| Count | 112 | 102 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rottschafer bearers went from 112 to 102 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 7,502 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #154,755.
FAQ
Rottschafer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rottschafer?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Rottschafer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Rottschafer?
Rottschafer ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Rottschafer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Rottschafer.
Has Rottschafer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rottschafer went from 112 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Rottschafer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rottschafer, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Rottschafer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rottschafer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.1%), Black (2.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Rottschafer (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 Rottschafer mean?
A German surname originating as a name for one who makes wagon wheels. 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 Rottschafer (0.03 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 are called Rottschafer?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Rottschafer? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.