2000
#45
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 366,215
First available Census row
Per 100,000 135.75
Common Last name
Roberts
An English and Welsh patronymic surname meaning "son of Robert," derived from the Germanic name Hrodebert, meaning "bright fame."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 415,171 Americans carry the last name Roberts. That puts it at #51 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 121.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 826 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roberts 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 Roberts with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
415K
1 in 826
Census rank
#51
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
121.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
362K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 362,049 bearers of the surname Roberts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 121.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 51st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roberts, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roberts
The surname Roberts is of English origin, derived from the medieval given name Robert, which in turn came from the Germanic name Robrecht or Rodebert. This name is composed of the elements "hrod" meaning "fame" and "berht" meaning "bright." The name Robert was introduced into England by the Norman invaders after the conquest of 1066.
Roberts is a patronymic surname, meaning it was initially used to refer to the son of someone named Robert. Early examples of the surname can be found in records from the 12th and 13th centuries, such as the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1166, which mention a William Roberts.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England completed in 1086, does not include any direct references to the Roberts surname. However, it does list individuals with the given name Robert, indicating the name's presence in England before the Norman Conquest.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Roberts surname was William Roberts, a medieval English scholar and theologian born around 1340. He was a fellow of Merton College, Oxford, and wrote several works on logic and philosophy.
Sir John Roberts (c. 1558-1609) was a prominent Welsh judge and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland and a member of the English House of Commons. He played a crucial role in the administration of Ireland during the Tudor period.
Another notable figure was Abraham Roberts (1647-1711), a Welsh Puritan minister and author known for his influential work "A View of the Religions." He was a prominent figure in the Presbyterian movement in Wales.
In the 18th century, William Roberts (1767-1849) was a Welsh Baptist minister and writer who published several works on theology and religious subjects. He was also involved in the founding of the Baptist College in Abergavenny.
During the American Revolutionary War, Owen Roberts (1758-1794) was a Welsh-born soldier who fought for the Continental Army. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was killed in action during the Battle of Germantown in 1794.
The Roberts surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Roberts Bridge in East Sussex and Roberts Town in Shropshire. These locations may have been named after individuals bearing the Roberts surname or may have contributed to the development of the surname in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roberts
Among Census respondents with the surname Roberts, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Roberts 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 Roberts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.2% · 268,689
- Black or African American16.3% · 59,153
- Two or more races4.4% · 15,889
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 12,596
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2,947
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 2,775
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roberts
Roberts 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
#50
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 376,774
+10,559 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 127.73
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#51
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 362,049
-14,725 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 121.13
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45 | 366,215 | 135.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #50 | 376,774 | 127.73 | +10,559 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #51 | 362,049 | 121.13 | -14,725 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 1 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 Roberts 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 | #50 | #51 | -2.0% |
| Count | 376,774 | 362,049 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 127.73 | 121.13 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roberts bearers went from 376,774 to 362,049 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #50 to #51.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Roberts
FAQ
Roberts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roberts?
Name Census estimates that about 415,171 living Americans carry the surname Roberts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 826 residents.
How common is Roberts?
Roberts ranks #51 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 121.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 121 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 362,049 people with the surname Roberts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (415,171), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 121.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 121.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 121 of them to have the surname Roberts.
Has Roberts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roberts went from 376,774 recorded bearers to 362,049. That is a decrease of 14,725 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #50 to #51.
What does the Census say about the background of Roberts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roberts, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Roberts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.2% (268,689 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roberts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.2%), Black (16.3%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Roberts (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 Roberts mean?
An English and Welsh patronymic surname meaning "son of Robert," derived from the Germanic name Hrodebert, meaning "bright fame." 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 Roberts (121.13 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 have the last name Roberts?
See how common the surname Roberts is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.