2000
#3,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,836
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.02
Uncommon Last name
Royer
A French occupational surname referring to someone who cleared land or a topographic name for someone living where oak trees had been cleared.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,565 Americans carry the last name Royer. That puts it at #3,211 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,278 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Royer 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 Royer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 27,278
Census rank
#3,211
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,957 bearers of the surname Royer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3211th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Royer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Royer
The surname ROYER has its origins in France, where it first appeared in the late medieval period, around the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "royer," meaning "road maker" or "paver," suggesting that the name was initially given to those who worked in the construction or maintenance of roads.
ROYER is a variant spelling of the French surname ROUYER, which has a similar etymology and meaning. The name is thought to have originated in the Île-de-France region, particularly around Paris and its surroundings, where many road construction and maintenance activities took place during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname ROYER can be found in the Livre des métiers d'Étienne Boileau, a 13th-century document that listed the various trades and professions in Paris. This document mentions several individuals with the surname ROYER or ROUYER, indicating their occupation as road makers or pavers.
In the 14th century, the surname ROYER appeared in numerous records and documents throughout northern France, including tax rolls, census records, and parish registers. For example, Jean ROYER was mentioned in a census record from the town of Amiens in 1347.
During the Renaissance period, several notable individuals bore the surname ROYER. One of the most famous was Joseph Nicolas ROYER (1703-1755), a French painter and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural scenes. Another prominent figure was Jean Baptiste René ROYER (1739-1805), a French writer and philosopher who wrote extensively on education and social reform.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the ROYER surname spread across France and into neighboring regions, such as Switzerland and Belgium. This period saw the rise of several ROYER families who left their mark in various fields, including Jean ROYER (1624-1699), a Swiss painter and engraver known for his religious works, and Nicolas ROYER (1675-1755), a French engineer and military officer who played a significant role in the development of fortifications in Canada.
Other notable individuals with the surname ROYER include Alphonse ROYER (1803-1875), a French writer and playwright who translated several works of Shakespeare into French, and Maurice ROYER (1870-1938), a French architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings and urban developments in Paris and other cities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Royer
Among Census respondents with the surname Royer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Royer 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 Royer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 9,741
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 404
- Two or more races3.5% · 382
- Black or African American2.9% · 313
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 83
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Royer
Royer 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
#3,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,279
+443 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 3.82
Rank movement Down 134 places
2020
#3,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,957
-322 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 3.67
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,069 | 10,836 | 4.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,203 | 11,279 | 3.82 | +443 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 134 places |
| 2020 | #3,211 | 10,957 | 3.67 | -322 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 8 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 Royer 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 | #3,203 | #3,211 | -0.2% |
| Count | 11,279 | 10,957 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.82 | 3.67 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Royer bearers went from 11,279 to 10,957 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,203 to #3,211.
FAQ
Royer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Royer?
Name Census estimates that about 12,565 living Americans carry the surname Royer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,278 residents.
How common is Royer?
Royer ranks #3,211 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,957 people with the surname Royer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,565), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Royer.
Has Royer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Royer went from 11,279 recorded bearers to 10,957. That is a decrease of 322 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,203 to #3,211.
What does the Census say about the background of Royer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Royer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Royer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (9,741 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Royer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Royer (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 Royer mean?
A French occupational surname referring to someone who cleared land or a topographic name for someone living where oak trees had been cleared. 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 Royer (3.67 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 are called Royer?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Royer at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.