2000
#81,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 217
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Roulier
A French occupational surname referring to a wagoneer or cart maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 244 Americans carry the last name Roulier. That puts it at #92,574 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,404,731 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roulier 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
244
1 in 1,404,731
Census rank
#92,574
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
213
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 213 bearers of the surname Roulier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 92574th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roulier, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roulier
The surname ROULIER has its origins in France and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "roulier," which referred to a carter, a person who transported goods by cart or wagon. This occupational name would have been given to someone whose livelihood involved driving carts or wagons.
The earliest recorded instances of the ROULIER surname can be found in various medieval records and documents from the 12th and 13th centuries in regions such as Normandy and the Île-de-France. Some variations in spelling were common during this time, including Roulier, Rouiller, and Roulliez.
One notable historical reference to the ROULIER name is found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Pierre de Préaux, a cartulary from the 12th century that mentions a certain Radulfus Roulier. This suggests that the name was already in use by the 1100s in Normandy.
In the 14th century, the ROULIER surname appears in several tax rolls and census records from various regions of France, indicating its spread across the country. For instance, a Jean Roulier is listed in a census from the city of Rouen in 1381.
As the centuries passed, the ROULIER surname continued to be found throughout France, with some individuals achieving notable positions or recognition. One such person was Jean-Baptiste Roulier (1647-1719), a French architect and engineer who worked on several prestigious projects, including the renovation of the Château de Versailles.
Another notable ROULIER was Pierre-Julien Roulier (1794-1858), a French jurist and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies during the July Monarchy.
In the 19th century, the ROULIER surname also made its way across the Atlantic, with several individuals bearing this name emigrating to Canada and the United States. One example is Jean-Baptiste Roulier (1829-1910), a French-Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec.
Other notable individuals with the ROULIER surname include Théodore Roulier (1810-1882), a French architect and author, and Charles Roulier (1829-1889), a French painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
Overall, the ROULIER surname has a rich history that spans several centuries and can be traced back to medieval France, where it originated as an occupational name for those involved in the transportation of goods by cart or wagon.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roulier
Among Census respondents with the surname Roulier, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Roulier 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 Roulier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 190
- Two or more races7.5% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roulier
Roulier 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
#82,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 227
+10 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 1,808 places
2020
#92,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 213
-14 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 9,666 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #81,100 | 217 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #82,908 | 227 | 0.08 | +10 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 1,808 places |
| 2020 | #92,574 | 213 | 0.07 | -14 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 9,666 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 Roulier 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 | #82,908 | #92,574 | -11.7% |
| Count | 227 | 213 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.07 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roulier bearers went from 227 to 213 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 9,666 positions in the national ranking, going from #82,908 to #92,574.
FAQ
Roulier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roulier?
Name Census estimates that about 244 living Americans carry the surname Roulier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,404,731 residents.
How common is Roulier?
Roulier ranks #92,574 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 213 people with the surname Roulier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (244), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Roulier.
Has Roulier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roulier went from 227 recorded bearers to 213. That is a decrease of 14 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #82,908 to #92,574.
What does the Census say about the background of Roulier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roulier, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Roulier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (190 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roulier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (7.5%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Roulier (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 Roulier mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a wagoneer or cart maker. 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 Roulier (0.07 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 surname Roulier?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.