2000
#10,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,868
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Roca
A Catalan and Spanish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a rock or boulder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,415 Americans carry the last name Roca. That puts it at #8,243 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,634 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roca 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
4.4K
1 in 77,634
Census rank
#8,243
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,850 bearers of the surname Roca in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8243rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roca, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.4%. The next largest groups are White (16.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roca
The surname ROCA is of Catalan origin, originating from the region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. The name is derived from the Catalan word "roca," meaning rock or rocky area. It likely emerged as a surname during the medieval period, referring to someone who lived near a prominent rock formation or in a particularly rocky area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname ROCA can be found in the "Llibre de Repartiment de València," a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of properties and lands in the region of Valencia after the Christian conquest. This suggests that individuals bearing the surname ROCA were present in this area during that time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Pere Roca was a prominent Catalan poet and writer, known for his work "Libre de Contemplació." This early literary reference demonstrates the presence of the surname in Catalonia during that period.
The surname ROCA has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Miquel Roca i Junyent (1932-2022), a Spanish lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Public Works and Urban Planning in Spain from 1981 to 1982.
Another prominent bearer of the surname was Josep Roca i Batlle (1836-1917), a Catalan architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Barcelona, including the Casa Roca and the Casa Padellàs.
In the realm of art, Joaquim Roca i Cornet (1836-1898) was a renowned Catalan painter and sculptor, known for his works depicting scenes from Catalan rural life and traditions.
Moving to the New World, Juan de la Roca (c. 1550-1602) was a Spanish explorer and navigator who played a significant role in the Spanish exploration and colonization of the Pacific Northwest region of present-day Canada and the United States.
These examples illustrate the historical presence and significance of the surname ROCA across various fields, from literature and politics to architecture, art, and exploration, with roots tracing back to the medieval period in the Catalan region of Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roca
Among Census respondents with the surname Roca, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.4%. The next largest groups are White (16.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Roca 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 Roca surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino77.4% · 2,978
- White16.5% · 637
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 168
- Black or African American0.9% · 33
- Two or more races0.8% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roca
Roca 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
#8,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,819
+951 bearers (+33.2%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Up 1,683 places
2020
#8,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,850
+31 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Up 368 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,294 | 2,868 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,611 | 3,819 | 1.29 | +951 bearers (+33.2%) | Up 1,683 places |
| 2020 | #8,243 | 3,850 | 1.29 | +31 bearers (+0.8%) | Up 368 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 Roca 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 | #8,611 | #8,243 | 4.3% |
| Count | 3,819 | 3,850 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.29 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roca bearers went from 3,819 to 3,850 (+0.8% change). The surname moved up 368 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,611 to #8,243.
FAQ
Roca surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roca?
Name Census estimates that about 4,415 living Americans carry the surname Roca. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,634 residents.
How common is Roca?
Roca ranks #8,243 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,850 people with the surname Roca. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,415), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Roca.
Has Roca become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roca went from 3,819 recorded bearers to 3,850. That is an increase of 31 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,611 to #8,243.
What does the Census say about the background of Roca?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roca, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.4%. The next largest groups are White (16.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Roca in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.4% (2,978 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roca appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (77.4%), White (16.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Roca (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 Roca mean?
A Catalan and Spanish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a rock or boulder. 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 Roca (1.29 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 common is the surname Roca?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Roca on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.