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

Roussel, 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 Roussel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roussel in America

Roussel is the 11362nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roussel surname appeared 2,777 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Roussel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roussel 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 Roussel

The surname ROUSSEL has its origins in France, originating in the Middle Ages. It is a French patronymic name derived from the Old French personal name "Roussel," which itself comes from the Latin word "russus," meaning "red-haired" or "reddish-brown."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname ROUSSEL can be traced back to the 12th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Guillaume Roussel, a Norman knight who participated in the Third Crusade (1189-1192) under the command of King Richard I of England.

In the 13th century, the ROUSSEL name appeared in various medieval records and documents, such as the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, which mentions a certain Renaud Roussel in 1249. The name was also found in the Trésor des Chartes du Comté de Rethel, a collection of charters from the County of Rethel, where a Simon Roussel is recorded in 1273.

During the 14th century, the ROUSSEL surname gained prominence in the region of Normandy, particularly in the towns of Rouen and Caen. One notable figure from this period was Jean Roussel (c. 1330-1400), a Norman lawyer and judge who served as the Bailli of Rouen.

In the 15th century, the ROUSSEL name appeared in the records of the famous Hundred Years' War between England and France. A certain Jacques Roussel (c. 1415-1480) was a French military commander who fought alongside Joan of Arc during the Siege of Orléans in 1429.

Over the centuries, the ROUSSEL surname has been associated with several notable individuals, including François Roussel (1557-1623), a French Catholic theologian and controversialist; François-Thérèse Roussel (1693-1759), a French painter and engraver; and Pierre Roussel (1742-1802), a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.

Other notable bearers of the ROUSSEL surname include Napoléon Roussel (1805-1878), a French general who served under Napoleon III; Théodore Roussel (1847-1926), a French naval officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Arctic; and Albert Roussel (1869-1937), a renowned French composer and conductor known for his orchestral and chamber works.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roussel

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

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 Roussel 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 Roussel 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 Roussel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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