2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rousos
A Greek surname derived from the Greek word "roussos" meaning red-haired or redhead.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Rousos. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rousos 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Rousos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rousos, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rousos
The surname Rousos is believed to have originated in Greece, with roots dating back to the Byzantine era. It is thought to be derived from the Greek word "rousios," which means "reddish" or "russet-colored," potentially referring to the hair color or complexion of an ancestor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rousos can be found in the archives of the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, a renowned monastic community in northern Greece. In a document dated to the 14th century, a monk by the name of Theophilos Rousos is mentioned, suggesting the surname's presence during the late Byzantine period.
In the 16th century, the name appears in several historical records from the island of Crete, which was under Venetian rule at the time. A notable figure was Andreas Rousos, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Rethymno during the early 1500s.
As the Ottoman Empire expanded its influence across the Greek territories in the following centuries, the Rousos name can be traced in various regions, including the Peloponnese peninsula and the islands of the Aegean Sea. In the 18th century, a prominent figure was Ioannis Rousos, a scholar and teacher who lived in the city of Nafplion and contributed to the preservation of Greek culture and education during the Ottoman occupation.
During the Greek War of Independence (1821-1832), several individuals bearing the Rousos surname played significant roles in the struggle against Ottoman rule. One such figure was Konstantinos Rousos, a military leader and revolutionary who fought alongside the legendary hero Theodoros Kolokotronis.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as Greeks began to immigrate to various parts of the world, the Rousos name spread beyond the borders of Greece. Notable individuals include Petros Rousos, a Greek-American author and journalist who lived in New York City in the early 1900s, and Nikolaos Rousos, a successful businessman and philanthropist who settled in Alexandria, Egypt, in the late 1800s.
Throughout its history, the Rousos surname has been associated with various professions and occupations, from merchants and landowners to scholars, teachers, and military leaders. Its origins are deeply rooted in the rich cultural tapestry of Greece, spanning centuries of history and carrying the echoes of an ancient heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rousos
Among Census respondents with the surname Rousos, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rousos 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 Rousos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.2% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rousos
Rousos 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,522 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-7 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,794 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 14,522 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 6,794 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 Rousos 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 | #144,141 | #150,935 | -4.7% |
| Count | 115 | 108 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rousos bearers went from 115 to 108 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 6,794 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #150,935.
FAQ
Rousos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rousos?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Rousos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Rousos?
Rousos ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Rousos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Rousos.
Has Rousos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rousos went from 115 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Rousos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rousos, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Rousos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rousos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.2%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Rousos (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 Rousos mean?
A Greek surname derived from the Greek word "roussos" meaning red-haired or redhead. 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 Rousos (0.04 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 Rousos?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Rousos on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.