2000
#11,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,405
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Roesler
A German occupational surname referring to someone who manufactured or sold horse tackle or equestrian equipment.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,566 Americans carry the last name Roesler. That puts it at #13,103 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,575 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roesler 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
2.6K
1 in 133,575
Census rank
#13,103
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,238 bearers of the surname Roesler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13103rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roesler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roesler
The surname Roesler is a German occupational name derived from the Middle High German word "rösler," meaning a rose grower or seller. It originated in various regions of Germany during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th centuries.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval German documents and records, often referring to individuals involved in the cultivation, trade, or sale of roses. For example, a "Johannes Rösler" was mentioned in a 1382 document from Nuremberg, indicating his occupation as a rose grower or seller.
In some areas, the name may have also derived from place names containing the word "Rose" or variations of it, such as Rosenau or Rosenberg. These place names were often associated with locations where roses were grown or traded.
One notable historical figure with the surname Roesler was Hans Roesler (1493-1562), a German theologian and reformer from Wittenberg. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another prominent individual was Johann Gottlob Roesler (1691-1737), a German composer and organist from Saxony. He was known for his contributions to the development of church music during the Baroque period.
In the 19th century, Carl Friedrich Roesler (1818-1896) was a German historian and philologist who specialized in the study of ancient Roman and Byzantine history. He made significant contributions to the understanding of ancient civilizations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States can be traced back to Johann Georg Roesler (1710-1785), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century. He was among the early German pioneers who helped establish German communities in the American colonies.
Another notable figure was Margarethe Roesler (1891-1948), a German opera singer and soprano who performed in various European opera houses during the early 20th century. She was particularly renowned for her performances in Wagner's operas.
While the surname Roesler originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the world due to migration and cultural exchange. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval German occupation of rose cultivation and trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roesler
Among Census respondents with the surname Roesler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Roesler 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 Roesler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 2,055
- Two or more races2.8% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 59
- Black or African American1.3% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roesler
Roesler 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
#12,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,458
+53 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 669 places
2020
#13,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,238
-220 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 510 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,924 | 2,405 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,593 | 2,458 | 0.83 | +53 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 669 places |
| 2020 | #13,103 | 2,238 | 0.75 | -220 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 510 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 Roesler 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 | #12,593 | #13,103 | -4.0% |
| Count | 2,458 | 2,238 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.75 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roesler bearers went from 2,458 to 2,238 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 510 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,593 to #13,103.
FAQ
Roesler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roesler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,566 living Americans carry the surname Roesler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,575 residents.
How common is Roesler?
Roesler ranks #13,103 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,238 people with the surname Roesler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,566), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Roesler.
Has Roesler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roesler went from 2,458 recorded bearers to 2,238. That is a decrease of 220 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,593 to #13,103.
What does the Census say about the background of Roesler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roesler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Roesler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (2,055 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roesler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Roesler (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 Roesler mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who manufactured or sold horse tackle or equestrian equipment. 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 Roesler (0.75 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 surname Roesler?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.