2000
#6,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,072
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.88
Rare Last name
Roos
A Dutch and German toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near a rose garden or in a place called Roos.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,414 Americans carry the last name Roos. That puts it at #6,858 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,309 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roos 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 Roos with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,309
Census rank
#6,858
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,721 bearers of the surname Roos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6858th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roos, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roos
The surname ROOS is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English word 'hros' meaning horse. It is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the counties of Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, as early as the 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ROOS surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'de Ros'. This entry refers to a Norman family who held lands in Yorkshire after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the spelling of the name varied, with alternate forms such as Ros, Roose, and Rouse being used. These variations likely stemmed from the different dialects and pronunciations across regions.
The ROOS surname is associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most prominent figures was Robert de Ros (c. 1223-1285), an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor of England from 1264 to 1268 and played a significant role in the Barons' War against King Henry III.
Another prominent bearer of the ROOS name was William de Ros (c. 1370-1414), a medieval English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was present at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
In the 16th century, Sir John Roos (c. 1527-1592) was a notable English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1573 to 1592.
The ROOS surname also has connections to various place names. For instance, the village of Ros in Northumberland, England, is believed to have derived its name from the ROOS family who held lands in the area during the Middle Ages.
Another notable bearer of the ROOS name was the Dutch painter Philip Roos (1655-1705), who was known for his paintings of animals and landscapes.
While the ROOS surname originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and immigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period in England, where it was initially associated with the equestrian class or those involved with horses.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roos
Among Census respondents with the surname Roos, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Roos 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 Roos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 4,287
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 175
- Two or more races3.4% · 159
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 49
- Black or African American0.9% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roos
Roos 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
#6,690
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,051
-21 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 479 places
2020
#6,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,721
-330 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 168 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,211 | 5,072 | 1.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,690 | 5,051 | 1.71 | -21 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 479 places |
| 2020 | #6,858 | 4,721 | 1.58 | -330 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 168 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 Roos 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 | #6,690 | #6,858 | -2.5% |
| Count | 5,051 | 4,721 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.58 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roos bearers went from 5,051 to 4,721 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 168 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,690 to #6,858.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Roos
FAQ
Roos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roos?
Name Census estimates that about 5,414 living Americans carry the surname Roos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,309 residents.
How common is Roos?
Roos ranks #6,858 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,721 people with the surname Roos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,414), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Roos.
Has Roos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roos went from 5,051 recorded bearers to 4,721. That is a decrease of 330 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,690 to #6,858.
What does the Census say about the background of Roos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roos, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Roos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (4,287 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Roos (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 Roos mean?
A Dutch and German toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near a rose garden or in a place called Roos. 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 Roos (1.58 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 Roos?
You can see how many people have the surname Roos on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.