2000
#89
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 219,961
First available Census row
Per 100,000 81.54
Common Last name
Ross
A surname of Scottish origin meaning "headland" or "promontory," likely referring to someone who lived on a peninsula.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 257,958 Americans carry the last name Ross. That puts it at #99 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 75.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,329 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ross 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 Ross with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
258K
1 in 1,329
Census rank
#99
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
75.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
225K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 224,952 bearers of the surname Ross in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 75.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 99th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ross, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.0%. The next largest groups are Black (24.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ross
The surname Ross has its origins in the Scottish Highlands, emerging in the 13th century as a territorial name for those residing in the district of Ross in northern Scotland. It is derived from the Gaelic word "ros," meaning a promontory or headland.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Ross can be traced back to a charter from 1263, which mentions "Hugo de Ross" as a witness. This suggests that the name was already well-established by that time in the region.
In the 14th century, the Ross clan played a prominent role in Scottish history, with the Earl of Ross being a powerful figure in the region. The clan's stronghold was the Rosemarkie Castle, located near the town of Fortrose in Ross-shire.
The surname Ross is also found in historical records such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists several individuals with the name who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. This includes names like Adam de Ros and William de Ross.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Ross include William Ross (c. 1370-1424), a Scottish nobleman and the 5th Earl of Ross, and Sir John Ross (1777-1856), a British naval officer and Arctic explorer who led expeditions to the Arctic in search of the Northwest Passage.
Another significant figure was Alexander Ross (1590-1654), a Scottish philosopher and writer who authored several works on philosophy, religion, and poetry. He is particularly known for his book "Virgilius Evangelizans" (1634), which sought to interpret Virgil's works from a Christian perspective.
In the world of literature, Sinclair Ross (1908-1996) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer, best known for his novel "As for Me and My House" (1941), which depicted the struggles of a prairie family during the Great Depression.
The surname Ross has also been associated with several place names, such as Rosshire, Rosemarkie, and Rosskeen, all located in the Scottish Highlands, reflecting the territorial origins of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ross
Among Census respondents with the surname Ross, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.0%. The next largest groups are Black (24.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ross 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 Ross surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.0% · 148,490
- Black or African American24.0% · 53,968
- Two or more races4.6% · 10,240
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 8,665
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,893
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1,696
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ross
Ross 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
#98
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 229,368
+9,407 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 77.76
Rank movement Down 9 places
2020
#99
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 224,952
-4,416 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 75.26
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #89 | 219,961 | 81.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #98 | 229,368 | 77.76 | +9,407 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 9 places |
| 2020 | #99 | 224,952 | 75.26 | -4,416 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 1 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 Ross 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 | #98 | #99 | -1.0% |
| Count | 229,368 | 224,952 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 77.76 | 75.26 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ross bearers went from 229,368 to 224,952 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #98 to #99.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ross
FAQ
Ross surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ross?
Name Census estimates that about 257,958 living Americans carry the surname Ross. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,329 residents.
How common is Ross?
Ross ranks #99 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 75.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 75 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 224,952 people with the surname Ross. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (257,958), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 75.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 75.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 75 of them to have the surname Ross.
Has Ross become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ross went from 229,368 recorded bearers to 224,952. That is a decrease of 4,416 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #98 to #99.
What does the Census say about the background of Ross?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ross, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.0%. The next largest groups are Black (24.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Ross in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.0% (148,490 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ross appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.0%), Black (24.0%), Two or More Races (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 Ross (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 Ross mean?
A surname of Scottish origin meaning "headland" or "promontory," likely referring to someone who lived on a peninsula. 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 Ross (75.26 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 Ross?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Ross is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.