2000
#16,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,646
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.61
Rare Last name
Roache
A surname derived from the Old French word "roche", meaning a rocky outcrop or crag.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,039 Americans carry the last name Roache. That puts it at #15,792 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,099 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roache 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 Roache with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 168,099
Census rank
#15,792
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,778 bearers of the surname Roache in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15792nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roache, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.3%. The next largest groups are Black (38.2%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roache
The surname Roache has its origins in medieval England, where it first emerged as a locational name derived from the Old English words 'hreac' or 'hreacca', meaning a rick or stack of hay or grain. The name was likely given to someone who lived near a distinctive rick or haystack.
This surname can be traced back to the 13th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances appearing in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1327, where a William del Rache is mentioned. The prefix 'del' suggests a locational origin, indicating the family resided near a distinctive rick or haystack at the time.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to several places with similar names, such as Rache in Cheshire and Rachebi in Derbyshire, which may have contributed to the development of this surname in those areas.
The earliest known bearer of the Roache surname was Sir John Roache, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in Cheshire during the 14th century. Another notable figure was Robert Roache (1563-1622), a renowned English clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Chester from 1607 until his death.
In the 16th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including Roche, Roache, and Roach, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. One example is Richard Roache (1547-1624), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Andover in 1597.
Another significant bearer of this surname was Sir William Roache (1673-1735), a successful merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1708-1709. He was also a Member of Parliament for the City of London from 1713 to 1722.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Roache family was well-established in Cheshire and Lancashire, with several members holding prominent positions in local government and society. One such individual was John Roache (1693-1768), a wealthy landowner and Justice of the Peace in Cheshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roache
Among Census respondents with the surname Roache, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.3%. The next largest groups are Black (38.2%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Roache 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 Roache surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.3% · 913
- Black or African American38.2% · 680
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 85
- Two or more races4.0% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roache
Roache 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
#15,533
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,884
+238 bearers (+14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 614 places
2020
#15,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,778
-106 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 259 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,147 | 1,646 | 0.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,533 | 1,884 | 0.64 | +238 bearers (+14.5%) | Up 614 places |
| 2020 | #15,792 | 1,778 | 0.59 | -106 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 259 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 Roache 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 | #15,533 | #15,792 | -1.7% |
| Count | 1,884 | 1,778 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.59 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roache bearers went from 1,884 to 1,778 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 259 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,533 to #15,792.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Roache
FAQ
Roache surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roache?
Name Census estimates that about 2,039 living Americans carry the surname Roache. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,099 residents.
How common is Roache?
Roache ranks #15,792 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,778 people with the surname Roache. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,039), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Roache.
Has Roache become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roache went from 1,884 recorded bearers to 1,778. That is a decrease of 106 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,533 to #15,792.
What does the Census say about the background of Roache?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roache, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.3%. The next largest groups are Black (38.2%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Roache in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.3% (913 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roache appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.3%), Black (38.2%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Roache (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 Roache mean?
A surname derived from the Old French word "roche", meaning a rocky outcrop or crag. 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 Roache (0.59 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 share the surname Roache?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.