2000
#6,179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.89
Rare Last name
Royce
An English topographic surname for someone living near a stream or on a headland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,689 Americans carry the last name Royce. That puts it at #6,558 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,249 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Royce 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 Royce with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 60,249
Census rank
#6,558
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,961 bearers of the surname Royce in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6558th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Royce, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Royce
The surname Royce is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French word "rous" meaning red-haired or ruddy-complexioned. It likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone with these physical characteristics. The name can be traced back to the early medieval period in England and Normandy, France.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Royce dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, there is a reference to a landowner named Rudicus, which is believed to be an early variation of the name Royce.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name began to appear more frequently in various historical records and manuscripts, often spelled as Rous, Rouse, or Rowse. Some notable individuals with this surname include Sir John Rous (c. 1420-1492), an English antiquary and historian who wrote the influential work "Historia Regum Angliae" (History of the Kings of England).
Another significant figure was John Royce (c. 1500-1558), a prominent English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Rochester and later as the Bishop of Norwich. He played a key role in the English Reformation and was a supporter of the religious reforms initiated by King Henry VIII.
In the 16th century, the spelling of the name began to evolve further, with variants like Royce, Roys, and Royse becoming more common. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Sir William Royce (c. 1550-1616), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and was appointed as a Judge of the Court of King's Bench.
Moving forward to the 17th century, a prominent figure was Sir Benjamin Royce (1616-1687), an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire. He was a prominent supporter of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.
In the 19th century, the Royce surname gained further recognition with the birth of Frederick Henry Royce (1863-1933), the co-founder of the renowned Rolls-Royce automotive company. His engineering expertise and innovative designs contributed significantly to the development of luxury automobiles and aircraft engines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Royce
Among Census respondents with the surname Royce, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Royce 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 Royce surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 4,295
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 274
- Two or more races4.1% · 202
- Black or African American2.0% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Royce
Royce 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
#6,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,115
+10 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 443 places
2020
#6,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,961
-154 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Up 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,179 | 5,105 | 1.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,622 | 5,115 | 1.73 | +10 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 443 places |
| 2020 | #6,558 | 4,961 | 1.66 | -154 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 64 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 Royce 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 | #6,622 | #6,558 | 1.0% |
| Count | 5,115 | 4,961 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.73 | 1.66 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Royce bearers went from 5,115 to 4,961 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,622 to #6,558.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Royce
FAQ
Royce surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Royce?
Name Census estimates that about 5,689 living Americans carry the surname Royce. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,249 residents.
How common is Royce?
Royce ranks #6,558 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,961 people with the surname Royce. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,689), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Royce.
Has Royce become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Royce went from 5,115 recorded bearers to 4,961. That is a decrease of 154 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,622 to #6,558.
What does the Census say about the background of Royce?
Among Census respondents with the surname Royce, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Royce in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (4,295 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Royce appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Royce (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 Royce mean?
An English topographic surname for someone living near a stream or on a headland. 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 Royce (1.66 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 surname Royce?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.