2000
#8,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,688
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.37
Rare Last name
Rourke
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Ruairc, meaning "descendant of Ruarc" (meaning "champion" or "hero").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,036 Americans carry the last name Rourke. That puts it at #8,922 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,924 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rourke 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rourke with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 84,924
Census rank
#8,922
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,520 bearers of the surname Rourke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8922nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rourke, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rourke
The surname ROURKE is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Ruairc, which originated in County Leitrim, Ireland. The name derives from the old Irish word "ruarc," meaning a champion or hero.
In the early medieval period, the Ó Ruairc clan was one of the most powerful and influential families in the province of Connacht. They ruled over a large territory centered around the modern-day counties of Leitrim and Roscommon.
The name ROURKE appears in several Irish annals and chronicles dating back to the 12th century. One notable bearer of the name was Tighernan Ua Ruairc, a 12th-century king of Breifne, who is mentioned in the Annals of Ulster and the Annals of the Four Masters.
The first recorded instance of the anglicized spelling "ROURKE" dates back to the 16th century, when the English administration in Ireland began standardizing Irish surnames. The name appears in various records, such as the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the 1659 Census of Ireland.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname ROURKE. One of the earliest was John Rourke (c. 1570-1628), an Irish Catholic priest and writer who served as the Bishop of Killaloe from 1619 until his death.
Another prominent bearer of the name was John Patrick Rourke (1835-1909), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York from 1893 to 1895.
In the field of literature, the name is associated with the Irish-American novelist and short story writer Mary Rourke (1853-1938), who wrote under the pen name "The Nun of Kenmare."
In more recent times, the surname has been carried by notable figures such as the American actor Mickey Rourke (born 1952), known for his roles in films like "The Wrestler" and "Sin City," and the Irish-American baseball player John Rourke (1909-1976), who played for the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Athletics.
The name ROURKE has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Rourke's Drift in County Leitrim, which was named after a prominent member of the Ó Ruairc clan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rourke
Among Census respondents with the surname Rourke, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rourke 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 Rourke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 3,185
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 135
- Two or more races3.0% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 23
- Black or African American0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rourke
Rourke 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
#8,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,757
+69 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 465 places
2020
#8,922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,520
-237 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 194 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,263 | 3,688 | 1.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,728 | 3,757 | 1.27 | +69 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 465 places |
| 2020 | #8,922 | 3,520 | 1.18 | -237 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 194 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 Rourke 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 | #8,728 | #8,922 | -2.2% |
| Count | 3,757 | 3,520 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.18 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rourke bearers went from 3,757 to 3,520 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 194 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,728 to #8,922.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rourke
FAQ
Rourke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rourke?
Name Census estimates that about 4,036 living Americans carry the surname Rourke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,924 residents.
How common is Rourke?
Rourke ranks #8,922 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,520 people with the surname Rourke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,036), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rourke.
Has Rourke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rourke went from 3,757 recorded bearers to 3,520. That is a decrease of 237 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,728 to #8,922.
What does the Census say about the background of Rourke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rourke, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Rourke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (3,185 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rourke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Rourke (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 Rourke mean?
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Ruairc, meaning "descendant of Ruarc" (meaning "champion" or "hero"). 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 Rourke (1.18 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 share the surname Rourke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.