2000
#16,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,549
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Rare Last name
Rolston
A locational surname referring to Rowlston in Lincolnshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,871 Americans carry the last name Rolston. That puts it at #17,014 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 183,193 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rolston 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 Rolston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 183,193
Census rank
#17,014
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,632 bearers of the surname Rolston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17014th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rolston, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rolston
The surname Rolston is of English origin, originating in the northern counties of England during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "rolf" or "rod," meaning a clearing or pasture, and "tun," meaning a farm or settlement. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a farm or settlement located in a clearing or pasture.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Rolston can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property rights in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Rolvestun," which is believed to be an early spelling variation of Rolston.
In the 13th century, the name was also recorded as "Rolvestune" and "Rolveston" in various historical documents and records. During this time, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Yorkshire and Northumberland, where many individuals bearing the Rolston surname lived and worked as farmers or landowners.
One notable individual with the Rolston surname was Sir John Rolston (1470-1535), who was a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Yorkshire during the reign of Henry VIII. Another historical figure was Robert Rolston (1592-1662), a Presbyterian minister and author who played a significant role in the religious affairs of Scotland during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the Rolston surname was also found in the records of the East India Company, with several individuals bearing the name serving as merchants and traders in British India. One such individual was William Rolston (1732-1801), who was a successful merchant and trader based in Calcutta (now Kolkata).
Another notable person with the Rolston surname was James Rolston (1806-1878), who was a prominent Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist. He emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and established several successful businesses in the textile industry.
Throughout its history, the Rolston surname has also been associated with various place names and locations, such as Rolston Hall in Northumberland, Rolston Manor in Yorkshire, and Rolston Farm in Cumbria, among others. These place names often reflect the historical presence and significance of individuals bearing the Rolston surname in these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rolston
Among Census respondents with the surname Rolston, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rolston 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 Rolston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 1,377
- Black or African American4.6% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 74
- Two or more races3.6% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rolston
Rolston 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
#17,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,646
+97 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Down 264 places
2020
#17,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,632
-14 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Up 188 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,938 | 1,549 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,202 | 1,646 | 0.56 | +97 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 264 places |
| 2020 | #17,014 | 1,632 | 0.55 | -14 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 188 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 Rolston 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 | #17,202 | #17,014 | 1.1% |
| Count | 1,646 | 1,632 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.56 | 0.55 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rolston bearers went from 1,646 to 1,632 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 188 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,202 to #17,014.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rolston
FAQ
Rolston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rolston?
Name Census estimates that about 1,871 living Americans carry the surname Rolston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 183,193 residents.
How common is Rolston?
Rolston ranks #17,014 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.55 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 1,632 people with the surname Rolston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,871), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.55 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 Rolston.
Has Rolston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rolston went from 1,646 recorded bearers to 1,632. That is a decrease of 14 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,202 to #17,014.
What does the Census say about the background of Rolston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rolston, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Rolston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (1,377 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rolston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Black (4.6%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Rolston (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 Rolston mean?
A locational surname referring to Rowlston in Lincolnshire, England. 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 Rolston (0.55 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 Rolston?
Want to know how many people have the last name Rolston? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.