2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Rotzien
A surname derived from a German place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Rotzien. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rotzien 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Rotzien in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rotzien, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rotzien
The surname ROTZIEN is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to have derived from the Germanic word "rotzen," meaning "to clear one's throat or cough." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a characteristic or occupation of the earliest bearers of the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ROTZIEN name can be found in the parish records of Saxony, Germany, where a Johannes Rotzien was mentioned in 1586. The name also appears in various other German historical documents and records from the 16th and 17th centuries, often with slight variations in spelling, such as Rotzen, Rotzien, or Rotzahn.
In the 18th century, the name ROTZIEN began to spread beyond its original region, with records showing bearers of the name in various parts of what is now modern-day Germany. One notable individual from this time period was Heinrich Rotzien (1712-1784), a prominent merchant and landowner from the town of Freiburg.
As the ROTZIEN name continued to disperse throughout Germany and beyond, it became associated with several notable individuals. One such person was Karl Rotzien (1823-1891), a renowned German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities during the 19th century.
Another significant figure in the history of the ROTZIEN surname was Anna Rotzien (1857-1928), a pioneering German educator and advocate for women's rights. She established several schools and educational programs for young women in her home region of Saxony.
In the 20th century, the ROTZIEN name gained further recognition with the accomplishments of individuals like Otto Rotzien (1902-1972), a highly respected German engineer who made significant contributions to the development of automotive technology.
While the ROTZIEN surname has maintained a strong presence in Germany, it has also spread to other parts of the world, with bearers of the name found in various countries, particularly in Europe and North America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rotzien
Among Census respondents with the surname Rotzien, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rotzien 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 Rotzien surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rotzien
Rotzien 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-7 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,915 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-8 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,308 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 13,915 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 9,308 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 Rotzien 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 | #136,449 | #145,757 | -6.8% |
| Count | 123 | 115 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rotzien bearers went from 123 to 115 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 9,308 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #145,757.
FAQ
Rotzien surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rotzien?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Rotzien. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Rotzien?
Rotzien ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Rotzien. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Rotzien.
Has Rotzien become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rotzien went from 123 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Rotzien?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rotzien, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Rotzien in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rotzien appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.6%), Black (1.7%). 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 Rotzien (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 Rotzien mean?
A surname derived from a German place name. 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 Rotzien (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 are called Rotzien?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Rotzien? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.