2000
#5,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,038
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.24
Rare Last name
Roundtree
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a circular grove or cluster of trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,908 Americans carry the last name Roundtree. That puts it at #5,571 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roundtree 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
6.9K
1 in 49,617
Census rank
#5,571
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,024 bearers of the surname Roundtree in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5571st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roundtree, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.8%. The next largest groups are White (22.6%) and Two or More Races (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roundtree
The surname Roundtree is of English origin, with roots dating back to the medieval era. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "rund," meaning "round," and "treow," meaning "tree." This suggests that the name may have originated from a specific place or area characterized by a distinctive round tree or cluster of trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1199, where it appears as "de Runde-treo." This indicates that the name was likely associated with a particular location or estate during the 12th century.
In the early 13th century, the surname appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Gloucestershire as "Rundetre," further supporting its locational origins. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including "Roundtree," "Roundtry," and "Rountree."
Several notable individuals have borne the Roundtree surname throughout history. One of the earliest recorded was John Roundtree, a merchant and alderman in the city of York, who lived during the 15th century. In the 16th century, Richard Roundtree was a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Lincolnshire.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Captain William Roundtree fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was known for his bravery in battle. Another notable figure was Thomas Roundtree, a Quaker minister and author who lived in Cumberland in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
In the 19th century, Joseph Roundtree founded the famous confectionery company Rowntree in York, which later became a part of the Nestlé corporation. His son, Benjamin Seebohm Roundtree, was a renowned social reformer and philanthropist who conducted groundbreaking research on poverty in York.
While the Roundtree surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and settlement. However, the earliest recorded examples and historical references remain firmly rooted in the English countryside and urban centers of the medieval and early modern periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roundtree
Among Census respondents with the surname Roundtree, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.8%. The next largest groups are White (22.6%) and Two or More Races (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Roundtree 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 Roundtree surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American66.8% · 4,024
- White22.6% · 1,361
- Two or more races6.7% · 401
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 182
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roundtree
Roundtree 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
#5,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,439
+401 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Down 96 places
2020
#5,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,024
-415 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 166 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,309 | 6,038 | 2.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,405 | 6,439 | 2.18 | +401 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 96 places |
| 2020 | #5,571 | 6,024 | 2.02 | -415 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 166 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 Roundtree 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 | #5,405 | #5,571 | -3.1% |
| Count | 6,439 | 6,024 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.18 | 2.02 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roundtree bearers went from 6,439 to 6,024 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 166 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,405 to #5,571.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Roundtree
FAQ
Roundtree surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roundtree?
Name Census estimates that about 6,908 living Americans carry the surname Roundtree. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,617 residents.
How common is Roundtree?
Roundtree ranks #5,571 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,024 people with the surname Roundtree. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,908), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Roundtree.
Has Roundtree become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roundtree went from 6,439 recorded bearers to 6,024. That is a decrease of 415 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,405 to #5,571.
What does the Census say about the background of Roundtree?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roundtree, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.8%. The next largest groups are White (22.6%) and Two or More Races (6.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Roundtree in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.8% (4,024 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roundtree appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (66.8%), White (22.6%), Two or More Races (6.7%). 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 Roundtree (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 Roundtree mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a circular grove or cluster of trees. 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 Roundtree (2.02 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 Americans have the surname Roundtree?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.