2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rouner
A surname of uncertain origin, potentially derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Rouner. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rouner 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Rouner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rouner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rouner
The surname Rouner is believed to have originated in Germany in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "rounen," which means "to whisper" or "to murmur." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname for someone who spoke softly or in a hushed tone.
One of the earliest known records of the name Rouner can be found in the Kirchenbücher, or church records, of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, dating back to the late 15th century. These records mention a family with the surname Rouner residing in the area.
In the 16th century, the name Rouner appeared in various documents across central and southern Germany, including land registries and tax records. One notable example is Hans Rouner, a merchant from Nuremberg who was born around 1520 and traded in textiles and spices.
As the name spread, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Rowner, Rauner, and Rauener. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and differences in pronunciation.
In the 17th century, the Rouner surname was found in the town of Dinkelsbühl, located in the present-day state of Bavaria, Germany. Records from this time period mention a family of weavers and textile makers with the surname Rouner.
One of the earliest known immigrants to North America with the surname Rouner was Johann Rouner, who arrived in Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century. He settled in the area that is now known as Berks County and established a farm.
Another notable individual with the surname Rouner was Wilhelm Rouner, a German artist born in 1835 who was known for his landscape paintings and portraits. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and exhibited his works throughout Europe.
In the 19th century, the surname Rouner was found in various parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like Switzerland and Austria. One example is Maximilian Rouner, a Swiss banker and philanthropist born in 1822 who made significant contributions to the development of financial institutions in Zurich.
Throughout history, the Rouner surname has maintained a presence, particularly in German-speaking regions, although it is not among the most common surnames. Despite its geographic spread and variations in spelling, it remains rooted in its German origins and the linguistic meaning associated with whispering or murmuring.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rouner
Among Census respondents with the surname Rouner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rouner 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 Rouner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 97
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rouner
Rouner 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+10 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 529 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-16 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 529 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 14,362 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 Rouner 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 | #139,228 | #153,590 | -10.3% |
| Count | 120 | 104 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rouner bearers went from 120 to 104 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 14,362 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #153,590.
FAQ
Rouner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rouner?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Rouner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Rouner?
Rouner ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Rouner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Rouner.
Has Rouner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rouner went from 120 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Rouner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rouner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Rouner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rouner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Rouner (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 Rouner mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, potentially derived from a 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 Rouner (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 have the last name Rouner?
If you just want to know how common the surname Rouner is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.