2000
#3,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,970
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.07
Uncommon Last name
Roush
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "rusch," meaning a person who made rush mats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,366 Americans carry the last name Roush. That puts it at #3,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,717 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roush 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
12K
1 in 27,717
Census rank
#3,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,784 bearers of the surname Roush in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roush, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 In a historical document from 1589, a certain Hans Rusch is mentioned as a resident of the town.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roush
Among Census respondents with the surname Roush, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Roush 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 Roush surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 10,110
- Two or more races2.9% · 308
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 226
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 38
- Black or African American0.3% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roush
Roush 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
#3,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,386
+416 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 3.86
Rank movement Down 145 places
2020
#3,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,784
-602 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 3.61
Rank movement Down 96 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,028 | 10,970 | 4.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,173 | 11,386 | 3.86 | +416 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 145 places |
| 2020 | #3,269 | 10,784 | 3.61 | -602 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 96 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 Roush 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 | #3,173 | #3,269 | -3.0% |
| Count | 11,386 | 10,784 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.86 | 3.61 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roush bearers went from 11,386 to 10,784 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 96 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,173 to #3,269.
FAQ
Roush surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roush?
Name Census estimates that about 12,366 living Americans carry the surname Roush. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,717 residents.
How common is Roush?
Roush ranks #3,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,784 people with the surname Roush. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,366), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Roush.
Has Roush become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roush went from 11,386 recorded bearers to 10,784. That is a decrease of 602 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,173 to #3,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Roush?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roush, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Roush in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (10,110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roush appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Roush (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 Roush mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "rusch," meaning a person who made rush mats. 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 Roush (3.61 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 common is the surname Roush?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Roush is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.