Rozsa
Hungarian surname derived from the Hungarian word for "rose".
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 480 Americans carry the last name Rozsa. That puts it at #51,396 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 714,072 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rozsa surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
480
1 in 714,072
Census rank
#51,396
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
405
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 405 bearers of the surname Rozsa in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 51396th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rozsa, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Black (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rozsa
The surname Rozsa has its origins in Hungary, where it can be traced back to the early 13th century. It is derived from the Hungarian word "rózsa," meaning rose, which is believed to have been used as a descriptive name for someone who cultivated or traded roses, or perhaps lived near a rose garden or had a complexion resembling the color of a rose.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rozsa can be found in a document from 1254, which mentions a landowner named Petrus Rozsa in the village of Nagykálló, located in what is now northeastern Hungary. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the mid-13th century.
Over the centuries, variations of the spelling emerged, such as Rózsa, Rozsás, and Rozsavölgyi, the latter meaning "from the rose valley." These variations often reflected regional differences or were influenced by local dialects.
In the 15th century, a notable bearer of the name was György Rozsa, a respected military commander who fought against the Ottoman Turks during the Hungarian-Ottoman Wars. He was born around 1430 and died in 1487.
Another prominent figure with the surname Rozsa was Sándor Rozsa, a renowned Hungarian-American composer who was born in 1877 and died in 1970. He is best known for his film scores, including those for "The Thief of Bagdad" (1940), "The Jungle Book" (1942), and "Ben-Hur" (1959), which earned him an Academy Award.
In the 20th century, Erzsébet Rozsa, a Hungarian mathematician and educator, made significant contributions to the field of mathematics education. She was born in 1905 and died in 1995.
Another notable bearer of the name was János Rozsa, a Hungarian Olympic swimmer who won a gold medal in the 1500-meter freestyle event at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He was born in 1913 and died in 1976.
Lastly, István Rozsa, a Hungarian-American film director and screenwriter, is known for his work on various television series and movies, including "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" (1998) and "The Son of the Sheik" (1926). He was born in 1933 and died in 2012.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rozsa
Among Census respondents with the surname Rozsa, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Black (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rozsa bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Rozsa surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3%
- Hispanic or Latino4.7%
- Unknown or suppressed1.5%
- Black or African American1.5%
Year on year
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Rozsa surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #49,965 | #51,396 | -2.9% |
| Count | 394 | 405 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.14 | -6.7% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Rozsa bearers went from 394 to 405 (+2.8% change). The surname moved down 1,431 positions in the national ranking, going from #49,965 to #51,396.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rozsa
FAQ
Rozsa surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Rozsa?
The surname Rozsa holds position #51,396 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 480 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Rozsa surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rozsa, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Black (1.5%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.