2000
#11,260
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,577
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Roussel
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a small stream or brook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,059 Americans carry the last name Roussel. That puts it at #11,312 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,048 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roussel 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 Roussel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 112,048
Census rank
#11,312
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,668 bearers of the surname Roussel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11312th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roussel, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roussel
Among Census respondents with the surname Roussel, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Roussel 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 Roussel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 2,300
- Black or African American5.4% · 143
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 124
- Two or more races3.0% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roussel
Roussel 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
#11,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,777
+200 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 102 places
2020
#11,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,668
-109 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Up 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,260 | 2,577 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,362 | 2,777 | 0.94 | +200 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 102 places |
| 2020 | #11,312 | 2,668 | 0.89 | -109 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 50 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 Roussel 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 | #11,362 | #11,312 | 0.4% |
| Count | 2,777 | 2,668 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.89 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roussel bearers went from 2,777 to 2,668 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,362 to #11,312.
FAQ
Roussel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roussel?
Name Census estimates that about 3,059 living Americans carry the surname Roussel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,048 residents.
How common is Roussel?
Roussel ranks #11,312 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,668 people with the surname Roussel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,059), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Roussel.
Has Roussel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roussel went from 2,777 recorded bearers to 2,668. That is a decrease of 109 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,362 to #11,312.
What does the Census say about the background of Roussel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roussel, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Roussel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (2,300 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roussel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Black (5.4%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Roussel (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 Roussel mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a small stream or brook. 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 Roussel (0.89 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 Roussel?
See how many Americans have the surname Roussel on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.