2000
#14,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,822
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Rolen
A surname originating from a place name derived from the Old English words "hrod" (glory) and "land."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,828 Americans carry the last name Rolen. That puts it at #17,341 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 187,502 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rolen 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
1.8K
1 in 187,502
Census rank
#17,341
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,594 bearers of the surname Rolen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17341st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rolen, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rolen
The surname Rolen has its origins in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "rol" meaning "a roll" and "lan" meaning "a lane or path," suggesting that the name may have been associated with someone who lived or worked near a rolling or winding road.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of land ownership and taxation compiled in 1086 under the reign of William the Conqueror. The name is mentioned in the entry for Leicestershire, where a certain Reginald Rolen is listed as a landowner.
In the 13th century, records from Lincolnshire mention a John Rolen, who was a prominent figure in the local community. Another early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1284, where a Robert Rolen is listed as a taxpayer.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in various records across England, with slight variations in spelling, such as Rolyn, Rolun, and Rollyn. One notable bearer of the name was William Rolen, a merchant from Bristol who was recorded in the city's trade records in 1372.
Moving into the 15th century, the Rolen surname gained further recognition with the birth of Sir John Rolen (1420-1492), a knight and landowner from Norfolk. Sir John's descendants continued to hold significant positions in the region for several generations.
In the 16th century, the Rolen family had spread to other parts of England, with records showing individuals with the surname in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Warwickshire. One notable figure was Thomas Rolen (1525-1590), a respected scholar and clergyman who served as the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Rolen surname continued to be present in various parts of England, with several individuals making their mark in various fields. Examples include Sir Edward Rolen (1620-1687), a Member of Parliament and landowner in Gloucestershire, and Mary Rolen (1685-1745), a renowned botanist and author from Hertfordshire.
By the 19th century, the Rolen surname had spread beyond England, with records indicating individuals bearing the name in other parts of the United Kingdom, as well as in North America and Australia, likely due to migration and exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rolen
Among Census respondents with the surname Rolen, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rolen 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 Rolen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.6% · 1,348
- Two or more races4.6% · 74
- Black or African American4.6% · 73
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rolen
Rolen 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
#15,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,868
+46 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 741 places
2020
#17,341
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,594
-274 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Down 1,702 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,898 | 1,822 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,639 | 1,868 | 0.63 | +46 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 741 places |
| 2020 | #17,341 | 1,594 | 0.53 | -274 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 1,702 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 Rolen 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 | #15,639 | #17,341 | -10.9% |
| Count | 1,868 | 1,594 | -14.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.53 | -15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rolen bearers went from 1,868 to 1,594 (-14.7% change). The surname moved down 1,702 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,639 to #17,341.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rolen
FAQ
Rolen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rolen?
Name Census estimates that about 1,828 living Americans carry the surname Rolen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 187,502 residents.
How common is Rolen?
Rolen ranks #17,341 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.53 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 1,594 people with the surname Rolen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,828), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.53 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 Rolen.
Has Rolen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rolen went from 1,868 recorded bearers to 1,594. That is a decrease of 274 (-14.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,639 to #17,341.
What does the Census say about the background of Rolen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rolen, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (4.6%). 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 Rolen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.6% (1,348 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rolen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Black (4.6%). 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 Rolen (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 Rolen mean?
A surname originating from a place name derived from the Old English words "hrod" (glory) and "land." 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 Rolen (0.53 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 Rolen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.