Find out how popular the last name Roush is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Roush.

Roush, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Roush surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roush in America

Roush is the 3173rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roush surname appeared 11,386 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Roush.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roush to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Roush

The surname Roush has its origins in Germany and Switzerland, where it was derived from the Old High German word "rusch," which means "rush" or "reed." This suggests that the name may have been originally an occupational name for someone who worked with reeds or rushes, possibly in the making of baskets or other woven items.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the Roush surname dates back to the 16th century in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, Germany. In a historical document from 1589, a certain Hans Rusch is mentioned as a resident of the town.

Another early reference to the name can be found in the Swiss city of Zurich, where a family by the name of Rousch is recorded as living in the 17th century. The slightly different spelling of the name may have been due to regional variations in pronunciation and orthography.

In the 18th century, a notable figure with the Roush surname was Johann Philipp Roush (1737-1806), a German composer and organist who was born in the town of Worms and served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Prince of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Another person of historical significance was Johann Georg Roush (1792-1858), a German-American immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and became a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist. He founded the town of Roushville, which was later renamed Myerstown.

Moving into the 19th century, a prominent individual with the Roush surname was Gottfried Roush (1818-1892), a German-born American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1870 to 1872.

During the same period, another notable figure was William Roush (1839-1921), an American Civil War veteran who fought for the Union Army and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roush

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Roush.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Roush was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Roush has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Roush was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Roush, please contact us.

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