2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rougely
A locative surname derived from a place named Roughley or Rougeley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Rougely. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rougely 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Rougely in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rougely, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.8%) and White (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rougely
The surname Rougely is of French origin, tracing its roots back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated in the Normandy region of northern France. The name is derived from the Old French word "rougel," which means "reddish" or "ruddy," referring to a person's complexion or hair color.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rougely name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, England, from the year 1195. These rolls, which recorded financial transactions and tax records, mention a certain Radulfus Rougely, suggesting that the name had already been established by that time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various other historical documents, such as the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1273, which listed a Robert Rougely as a landowner in the area. The Rougely family was known to have held land and properties in various parts of England during this period.
The Domesday Book, the famous record of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Rougely name. However, it does mention several places with similar-sounding names, such as Roughley in Lancashire and Rowley in Staffordshire, which may be related to the surname's origins.
One notable figure with the Rougely surname was Sir John Rougely (c. 1420-1491), a English knight and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire in the 15th century. Another prominent individual was William Rougely (1550-1612), an English clergyman who served as the Dean of Winchester Cathedral from 1599 until his death.
In the 16th century, the Rougely name was also found in various parish records and legal documents across England. For instance, a Thomas Rougely was listed as a witness in a court case in Oxfordshire in 1587, while a John Rougely was recorded as a landowner in Gloucestershire in 1592.
Other historical figures bearing the Rougely surname include Richard Rougely (1670-1743), an English merchant and philanthropist who founded a school in his hometown of Wantage, and Mary Rougely (1745-1821), a renowned painter and portraitist who was a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
While the Rougely name has its origins in France and was initially introduced to England during the Norman conquest, it eventually spread to other parts of the British Isles and later to other English-speaking countries through emigration and colonization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rougely
Among Census respondents with the surname Rougely, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.8%) and White (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rougely 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 Rougely surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American86.7% · 98
- Two or more races8.8% · 10
- White1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rougely
Rougely 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+13 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,946 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,072 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 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 3,946 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 4,072 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 Rougely 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 | #143,149 | #147,221 | -2.8% |
| Count | 116 | 113 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rougely bearers went from 116 to 113 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 4,072 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #147,221.
FAQ
Rougely surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rougely?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Rougely. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Rougely?
Rougely ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Rougely. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Rougely.
Has Rougely become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rougely went from 116 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Rougely?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rougely, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.8%) and White (1.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rougely in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rougely appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (86.7%), Two or More Races (8.8%), White (1.8%). 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 Rougely (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 Rougely mean?
A locative surname derived from a place named Roughley or Rougeley. 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 Rougely (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 Rougely?
You can see how many people are called Rougely on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.