2000
#20,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,201
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.45
Rare Last name
Roxas
A Spanish surname derived from the word "roca" meaning "rock."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,273 Americans carry the last name Roxas. That puts it at #14,475 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,794 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roxas 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
2.3K
1 in 150,794
Census rank
#14,475
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,982 bearers of the surname Roxas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14475th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roxas, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roxas
The surname Roxas is believed to have originated from the Philippines. It is likely derived from the Spanish word "roca" or "roxa," meaning rock or reddish stone. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a rocky area or a place with reddish soil.
Roxas is a relatively common surname in the Philippines, particularly in the Visayas region. It is possible that the name's roots can be traced back to the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines, which lasted from the 16th to the 19th century. During this period, many Filipinos adopted Spanish surnames as a result of the Spanish policy of assigning surnames to the native population.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Roxas can be found in the 16th century, when a man named Juan Roxas was mentioned in historical documents from the Philippines. Unfortunately, not much is known about his life or the specific origin of his surname.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure named Manuel Roxas y Acuña (1892-1948) played a significant role in Philippine history. He served as the first President of the independent Republic of the Philippines after World War II, from 1946 to 1948.
Another notable person with the surname Roxas is Gerardo Roxas (1924-1982), a Filipino architect and urban planner. He is best known for his contributions to the development of Metro Manila and his work on projects such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Manila Metropolitan Theater.
In the field of literature, Joaquin Maria Roxas (1917-1989) was a renowned Filipino poet and essayist. He was known for his introspective works that explored themes of identity, spirituality, and the human condition.
Margarita Roxas de Ayala (1866-1937) was a prominent businesswoman and philanthropist in the Philippines. She was instrumental in the growth of the Ayala Corporation, one of the largest conglomerates in the country.
Lastly, Félix Roxas y Arroyo (1825-1905) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, and writer. He served as a member of the Spanish Cortes (parliament) and played a role in the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial rule.
While the surname Roxas has its roots in the Philippines, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the Philippines and the Spanish colonial influence on the country's naming traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roxas
Among Census respondents with the surname Roxas, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Roxas 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 Roxas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander82.9% · 1,643
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 122
- Two or more races5.5% · 110
- White4.8% · 96
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roxas
Roxas 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
#16,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,706
+505 bearers (+42.0%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Up 3,773 places
2020
#14,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,982
+276 bearers (+16.2%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 2,280 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,528 | 1,201 | 0.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,755 | 1,706 | 0.58 | +505 bearers (+42.0%) | Up 3,773 places |
| 2020 | #14,475 | 1,982 | 0.66 | +276 bearers (+16.2%) | Up 2,280 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 Roxas 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 | #16,755 | #14,475 | 13.6% |
| Count | 1,706 | 1,982 | 16.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.58 | 0.66 | 14.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roxas bearers went from 1,706 to 1,982 (+16.2% change). The surname moved up 2,280 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,755 to #14,475.
FAQ
Roxas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roxas?
Name Census estimates that about 2,273 living Americans carry the surname Roxas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,794 residents.
How common is Roxas?
Roxas ranks #14,475 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,982 people with the surname Roxas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,273), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Roxas.
Has Roxas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roxas went from 1,706 recorded bearers to 1,982. That is an increase of 276 (+16.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,755 to #14,475.
What does the Census say about the background of Roxas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roxas, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Roxas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (1,643 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roxas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (82.9%), Hispanic (6.2%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Roxas (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 Roxas mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "roca" meaning "rock." 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 Roxas (0.66 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 last name Roxas?
Find out how many people have the last name Roxas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.