2000
#10,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,691
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Rozell
A toponymic surname derived from a place name, likely referring to a person from Rozelle, a town in Picardy, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,939 Americans carry the last name Rozell. That puts it at #11,696 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,623 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rozell 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
2.9K
1 in 116,623
Census rank
#11,696
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,563 bearers of the surname Rozell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11696th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rozell, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rozell
The surname Rozell has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "rod" and "gel," meaning a clearing in the woods or a small valley. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a small clearing or valley.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it appears as "Rodgeshulle" and "Roggeshulle." These variations likely stem from the local dialect and pronunciation at the time.
In the 14th century, records indicate the presence of a family named Rozell in the village of Chedworth, Gloucestershire. This village was once home to a small hamlet called "Rodegeshalue," which could have been the place of origin for the family.
One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was William Rozell, who lived in Wiltshire in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was John Rozell, a merchant from London, who was mentioned in the city's records in 1412.
During the 16th century, the name appeared in various forms, including "Rodsell," "Rodgell," and "Rozell." This diversity in spellings was common before the standardization of English orthography.
In the 17th century, the Rozell family had established roots in several counties across England, including Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. One prominent figure from this era was Sir Edward Rozell, a landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Bath in the late 1600s.
Another noteworthy individual was Thomas Rozell, a scholar and clergyman who lived in the early 18th century. He was the author of several theological works and served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Marlborough, Wiltshire.
As the centuries passed, the surname continued to be present in various regions of England, with families bearing the name making contributions in various fields, from agriculture and trade to academia and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rozell
Among Census respondents with the surname Rozell, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rozell 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 Rozell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 2,171
- Black or African American5.9% · 152
- Two or more races5.2% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rozell
Rozell 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
#11,746
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,667
-24 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 877 places
2020
#11,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,563
-104 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,869 | 2,691 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,746 | 2,667 | 0.90 | -24 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 877 places |
| 2020 | #11,696 | 2,563 | 0.86 | -104 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 Rozell 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 | #11,746 | #11,696 | 0.4% |
| Count | 2,667 | 2,563 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.86 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rozell bearers went from 2,667 to 2,563 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,746 to #11,696.
FAQ
Rozell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rozell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,939 living Americans carry the surname Rozell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,623 residents.
How common is Rozell?
Rozell ranks #11,696 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,563 people with the surname Rozell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,939), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Rozell.
Has Rozell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rozell went from 2,667 recorded bearers to 2,563. That is a decrease of 104 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,746 to #11,696.
What does the Census say about the background of Rozell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rozell, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Rozell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (2,171 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rozell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Rozell (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 Rozell mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name, likely referring to a person from Rozelle, a town in Picardy, France. 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 Rozell (0.86 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 Americans have the surname Rozell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.