2000
#1,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,022
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.28
Uncommon Last name
Rouse
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of ropes and nets, or a nickname for an agile person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,815 Americans carry the last name Rouse. That puts it at #1,386 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,895 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rouse 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 Rouse with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,895
Census rank
#1,386
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,128 bearers of the surname Rouse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1386th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rouse
The surname ROUSE is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "rous" meaning red or ruddy, likely referring to someone with a reddish complexion or hair color. The name was initially found in areas of Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, which mentions a Roger Rouse. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also lists a Thomas le Rous from Oxfordshire. This spelling variation, using "le" before the surname, was common during the medieval period.
The surname is also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror. The book includes references to individuals with similar names such as "Radulfus Russus" and "Hugo Russatus."
During the 13th century, the name was found in various locations across England, including the counties of Berkshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. Several place names, such as Rouse Lench in Worcestershire and Rouse Hill in Oxfordshire, are also thought to be derived from this surname.
Notable individuals with the surname ROUSE throughout history include:
1. John Rouse (c. 1420-1491), an English monk and historian who wrote the "Historia Regum Angliae" (History of the Kings of England).
2. Edward Rouse (1619-1677), an English politician and member of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War.
3. Henry Rouse (1744-1800), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars.
4. James Rouse (1914-1996), an American entrepreneur and pioneer of the modern shopping mall concept, known for developing projects like Columbia, Maryland.
5. John Rouse (1923-2015), an American philosopher and scholar who taught at Yale University and made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek philosophy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rouse
Among Census respondents with the surname Rouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rouse 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 Rouse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.5% · 16,707
- Black or African American24.4% · 6,135
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,037
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 859
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 245
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 145
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rouse
Rouse 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
#1,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,519
+1,497 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 8.99
Rank movement Down 38 places
2020
#1,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,128
-1,391 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 8.41
Rank movement Down 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,292 | 25,022 | 9.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,330 | 26,519 | 8.99 | +1,497 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 38 places |
| 2020 | #1,386 | 25,128 | 8.41 | -1,391 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 56 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 Rouse 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 | #1,330 | #1,386 | -4.2% |
| Count | 26,519 | 25,128 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 8.99 | 8.41 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rouse bearers went from 26,519 to 25,128 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,330 to #1,386.
FAQ
Rouse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rouse?
Name Census estimates that about 28,815 living Americans carry the surname Rouse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,895 residents.
How common is Rouse?
Rouse ranks #1,386 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,128 people with the surname Rouse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,815), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Rouse.
Has Rouse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rouse went from 26,519 recorded bearers to 25,128. That is a decrease of 1,391 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,330 to #1,386.
What does the Census say about the background of Rouse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Rouse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.5% (16,707 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rouse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.5%), Black (24.4%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Rouse (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 Rouse mean?
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of ropes and nets, or a nickname for an agile person. 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 Rouse (8.41 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 Rouse?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.