2000
#4,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,854
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.91
Rare Last name
Rousseau
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a reddish patch of land or a russet bush.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,184 Americans carry the last name Rousseau. That puts it at #4,283 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,321 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rousseau 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 Rousseau with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.2K
1 in 37,321
Census rank
#4,283
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,009 bearers of the surname Rousseau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4283rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rousseau, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rousseau
The surname ROUSSEAU is of French origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "rous," meaning red-haired or russet-colored. This nickname likely referred to a person with reddish hair or complexion.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname ROUSSEAU can be found in medieval records and documents from the 12th and 13th centuries in various regions of France, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. Some variations in spelling included Roussel, Rousselet, and Roussillon.
One of the earliest known bearers of the ROUSSEAU name was Jean Rousseau, a 13th-century French poet and trouvère (composer of secular monophonic songs) from the Champagne region. He is best known for his love songs and pastourelles (songs about shepherds and shepherdesses).
In the 14th century, the ROUSSEAU surname appeared in the historical record "Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de famille" by Albert Dauzat, which documented the origins and meanings of French surnames.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure with the ROUSSEAU surname was Jacques Rousseau (1605-1684), a French architect and engineer who worked on several prominent buildings in Paris, including the Louvre Palace and the Church of Val-de-Grâce.
One of the most famous bearers of the ROUSSEAU name was Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer who influenced the French Revolution and the development of modern political and educational thought with his works such as "The Social Contract" and "Emile, or On Education."
Another prominent individual with the ROUSSEAU surname was Jean-Baptiste Rousseau (1670-1741), a French poet and dramatist who was considered one of the greatest lyric poets of his time and is known for his epigrams, odes, and satires.
In the 19th century, Henri Rousseau (1844-1910), also known as "Le Douanier Rousseau" (The Customs Officer Rousseau), was a French Post-Impressionist painter who became famous for his naive or primitive style of painting and depictions of lush jungles and exotic scenes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rousseau
Among Census respondents with the surname Rousseau, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rousseau 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 Rousseau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.2% · 6,261
- Black or African American10.7% · 859
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 355
- Two or more races4.1% · 330
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 142
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rousseau
Rousseau 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
#4,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,270
+416 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.80
Rank movement Down 112 places
2020
#4,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,009
-261 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.68
Rank movement Up 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,185 | 7,854 | 2.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,297 | 8,270 | 2.80 | +416 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 112 places |
| 2020 | #4,283 | 8,009 | 2.68 | -261 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 14 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 Rousseau 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 | #4,297 | #4,283 | 0.3% |
| Count | 8,270 | 8,009 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.80 | 2.68 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rousseau bearers went from 8,270 to 8,009 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,297 to #4,283.
FAQ
Rousseau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rousseau?
Name Census estimates that about 9,184 living Americans carry the surname Rousseau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,321 residents.
How common is Rousseau?
Rousseau ranks #4,283 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,009 people with the surname Rousseau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,184), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Rousseau.
Has Rousseau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rousseau went from 8,270 recorded bearers to 8,009. That is a decrease of 261 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,297 to #4,283.
What does the Census say about the background of Rousseau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rousseau, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Rousseau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.2% (6,261 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rousseau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.2%), Black (10.7%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Rousseau (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 Rousseau mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a reddish patch of land or a russet bush. 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 Rousseau (2.68 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 Rousseau?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Rousseau on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.