2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Rova
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Rova. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rova 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Rova in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rova, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rova
The surname ROVA has its origins tracing back to Italy during the 12th century. The name is believed to derive from the Latin word "rova," which translates to "roughness" or "harshness," potentially referring to an area or region with a rugged terrain. This surname was initially found in the northern regions of Italy, particularly in the regions of Lombardy and Veneto.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ROVA surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 13th century. This document mentions a certain "Guilielmus de Rova" from the city of Verona, indicating the presence of the surname in the region during that time period.
In the 14th century, the ROVA surname appears in various medieval records, including the Venetian archives. These records reference individuals such as Pietro Rova, a merchant from Venice who lived between 1320 and 1385, and Giacomo Rova, a notable scholar and writer from Padua, born in 1378 and died in 1442.
During the Renaissance period, the ROVA surname gained prominence with the birth of Antonio Rova, a renowned painter and sculptor from Milan, who lived from 1455 to 1528. His works can be found in various churches and museums throughout Italy, showcasing the artistic talents associated with this surname.
In the 17th century, the ROVA surname spread beyond Italy, with records indicating individuals bearing this name in other parts of Europe. One notable figure was Francesca Rova, a celebrated opera singer from Naples, who performed in various theaters across Europe between 1650 and 1710.
Another prominent individual with the ROVA surname was Giovanni Battista Rova, an Italian mathematician and astronomer born in Genoa in 1712. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and was a member of the prestigious Accademia delle Scienze di Torino (Academy of Sciences of Turin).
The ROVA surname has also been linked to various place names in Italy, such as Rova di Vestone, a small village located in the province of Brescia, and Rova Confienza, a hamlet in the province of Pavia. These place names may have influenced the development and spread of the ROVA surname throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rova
Among Census respondents with the surname Rova, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rova 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 Rova surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.2% · 6
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rova
Rova 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,334 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-13 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,551 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,334 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 13,551 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 Rova 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 | #132,206 | #145,757 | -10.2% |
| Count | 128 | 115 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rova bearers went from 128 to 115 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 13,551 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #145,757.
FAQ
Rova surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rova?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Rova. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Rova?
Rova ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Rova. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Rova.
Has Rova become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rova went from 128 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Rova?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rova, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Rova in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rova appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Rova (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 Rova mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name. 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 Rova (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 many people have the surname Rova?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.