2000
#6,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,654
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.73
Rare Last name
Roger
An occupational surname referring to a spearman or a military flag bearer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,522 Americans carry the last name Roger. That puts it at #10,018 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,318 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roger 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 Roger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,318
Census rank
#10,018
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,071 bearers of the surname Roger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10018th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roger, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.9%) and Hispanic (12.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roger
The surname Roger originated in England, with its roots dating back to the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is derived from the Old French personal name "Roger," which is composed of the Germanic elements "hrod" (meaning "renown") and "ger" (meaning "spear").
In medieval times, the Roger surname was particularly prevalent in the county of Shropshire, England, where many early bearers of the name were landowners and nobles. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a Roger de Bully is listed as a landowner in Shropshire.
Over the centuries, the Roger surname has been subject to various spelling variations, including Rodger, Rogger, and Rager. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the quirks of individual scribes who recorded the name in official documents.
One of the most notable early bearers of the Roger surname was Roger de Mortimer, a powerful English nobleman who played a significant role in the overthrow of King Edward II in the 14th century. Born around 1286, Roger de Mortimer became the de facto ruler of England during the minority of Edward III, before being executed for treason in 1330.
In the 15th century, Sir John Roger was a prominent English soldier who served in the Wars of the Roses. He fought alongside the Yorkist forces and was rewarded with lands in Somersetshire after the victory of Edward IV.
During the Tudor period, another notable figure was John Rogers, a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in 1555 for his religious beliefs. Rogers, who was born around 1500, played a key role in translating the Bible into English under the patronage of Thomas Cromwell.
In the 17th century, Samuel Rogers, born in 1763, was an influential English poet and banker. His works, including the narrative poem "The Pleasures of Memory," earned him widespread acclaim and a place among the leading literary figures of his time.
Throughout history, the Roger surname has been associated with various place names, such as Rogers Croft in Northamptonshire and Roger's Green in Gloucestershire, reflecting the influence and landholdings of prominent families bearing the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roger
Among Census respondents with the surname Roger, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.9%) and Hispanic (12.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Roger 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 Roger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.7% · 1,804
- Black or African American22.9% · 704
- Hispanic or Latino12.6% · 388
- Two or more races3.1% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roger
Roger 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
#8,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,054
-600 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 1,480 places
2020
#10,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,071
-983 bearers (-24.2%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 1,842 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,696 | 4,654 | 1.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,176 | 4,054 | 1.37 | -600 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 1,480 places |
| 2020 | #10,018 | 3,071 | 1.03 | -983 bearers (-24.2%) | Down 1,842 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 Roger 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 | #8,176 | #10,018 | -22.5% |
| Count | 4,054 | 3,071 | -24.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.03 | -25.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roger bearers went from 4,054 to 3,071 (-24.2% change). The surname moved down 1,842 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,176 to #10,018.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Roger
FAQ
Roger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roger?
Name Census estimates that about 3,522 living Americans carry the surname Roger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,318 residents.
How common is Roger?
Roger ranks #10,018 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 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 3,071 people with the surname Roger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,522), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 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 Roger.
Has Roger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roger went from 4,054 recorded bearers to 3,071. That is a decrease of 983 (-24.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,176 to #10,018.
What does the Census say about the background of Roger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roger, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.9%) and Hispanic (12.6%). 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 Roger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.7% (1,804 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.7%), Black (22.9%), Hispanic (12.6%). 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 Roger (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 Roger mean?
An occupational surname referring to a spearman or a military flag bearer. 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 Roger (1.03 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 are called Roger?
Find out how many people are called Roger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.