2000
#98,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 170
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Roaf
Derived from the Old English word hrop, meaning "roof" or "roofmaker."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 201 Americans carry the last name Roaf. That puts it at #108,023 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,705,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roaf 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
201
1 in 1,705,245
Census rank
#108,023
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
175
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 175 bearers of the surname Roaf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 108023rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roaf, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roaf
The surname Roaf is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "hróf," meaning roof or roof-top. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name for someone who lived near a prominent roof or rooftop structure.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the late 12th century in various English counties, particularly in the Midlands and the North. One of the earliest mentions is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1195, where a person named Robertus Rof is mentioned.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Rof, Roffe, and Rouf, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that time. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 mention a William Rof in Oxfordshire.
The surname Roaf is associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was John Rofe (c. 1425 - 1500), an English cleric and academic who served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1489 to 1500.
In the 17th century, William Roaf (1617 - 1678) was a prominent English merchant and landowner in Oxfordshire. He played a significant role in the local community and served as a Justice of the Peace.
The 18th century saw the birth of Samuel Roaf (1738 - 1812), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Freemasons' Hall on Great Queen Street.
In the 19th century, James Roaf (1808 - 1891) was a renowned English engineer who contributed significantly to the development of steam engines and railway technology. He held several patents and worked for prominent companies such as the London and North Western Railway.
Another notable figure was Sir Robert Roaf (1880 - 1958), a British physician and medical researcher who made significant contributions to the study of respiratory diseases and tuberculosis. He served as the President of the Royal College of Physicians from 1947 to 1953.
While the surname Roaf is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a rich history and has been associated with individuals who have made valuable contributions across various fields, including academia, architecture, engineering, and medicine.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roaf
Among Census respondents with the surname Roaf, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Roaf 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 Roaf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.0% · 112
- Black or African American31.4% · 55
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 4
- Two or more races1.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roaf
Roaf 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
#105,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 169
-1 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 6,830 places
2020
#108,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 175
+6 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 2,423 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #98,770 | 170 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #105,600 | 169 | 0.06 | -1 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 6,830 places |
| 2020 | #108,023 | 175 | 0.06 | +6 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 2,423 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 Roaf 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 | #105,600 | #108,023 | -2.3% |
| Count | 169 | 175 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roaf bearers went from 169 to 175 (+3.6% change). The surname moved down 2,423 positions in the national ranking, going from #105,600 to #108,023.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Roaf
FAQ
Roaf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roaf?
Name Census estimates that about 201 living Americans carry the surname Roaf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,705,245 residents.
How common is Roaf?
Roaf ranks #108,023 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 175 people with the surname Roaf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (201), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Roaf.
Has Roaf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roaf went from 169 recorded bearers to 175. That is an increase of 6 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #105,600 to #108,023.
What does the Census say about the background of Roaf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roaf, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Roaf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.0% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roaf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.0%), Black (31.4%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Roaf (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 Roaf mean?
Derived from the Old English word hrop, meaning "roof" or "roofmaker." 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 Roaf (0.06 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 Roaf?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.