2000
#82,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 214
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Rotton
A locational name referring to those who lived in a rotten or decaying area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 271 Americans carry the last name Rotton. That puts it at #85,336 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,264,776 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rotton 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 Rotton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
271
1 in 1,264,776
Census rank
#85,336
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
236
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 236 bearers of the surname Rotton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 85336th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rotton, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rotton
The surname Rotton is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "rot," meaning "decay" or "rot." It is believed to have emerged as a descriptive name during the Middle Ages, possibly referring to a person who lived near a rotten or decaying area.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Curia Regis Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219 with the spelling "Rotun." This suggests that the name may have originated in the Yorkshire region of England.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, the name is recorded as "Roton," which is closer to the modern spelling. This record mentions a John Roton from Cambridgeshire, indicating that the name had spread beyond its original Yorkshire roots.
During the 14th century, the surname appears in various records with different spellings, such as "Roten," "Rotun," and "Rotoun." This variation in spelling was common in earlier times due to the lack of standardized orthography.
One notable early bearer of the name was William Rotton, a merchant and alderman of London, who lived in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in historical records from 1379 to 1391.
In the 15th century, the Rotton surname continued to appear in various records across England. One example is John Rotton, who is mentioned in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from the Paston family of Norfolk, dated around 1472.
Another notable individual with this surname was Sir John Rotton, a member of the English gentry who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He served as the High Sheriff of Shropshire in 1505.
During the 16th century, the name was recorded in various parish registers across England, indicating its spread throughout the country. One example is the baptismal record of Jone Rotton in the parish of Wistow, Leicestershire, in 1584.
In the 17th century, the spelling of the surname seemed to have become more standardized, with the "Rotton" variation being more prevalent. One notable bearer of this surname was Thomas Rotton, a clergyman and author who lived from 1616 to 1672.
Throughout its history, the Rotton surname has been associated with various locations across England, such as Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Shropshire, and Leicestershire, reflecting the migration and spread of families bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rotton
Among Census respondents with the surname Rotton, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rotton 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 Rotton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 215
- Black or African American4.2% · 10
- Two or more races2.5% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rotton
Rotton 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
#84,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 223
+9 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 2,117 places
2020
#85,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 236
+13 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 1,200 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #82,019 | 214 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #84,136 | 223 | 0.08 | +9 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 2,117 places |
| 2020 | #85,336 | 236 | 0.08 | +13 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 1,200 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 Rotton 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 | #84,136 | #85,336 | -1.4% |
| Count | 223 | 236 | 5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rotton bearers went from 223 to 236 (+5.8% change). The surname moved down 1,200 positions in the national ranking, going from #84,136 to #85,336.
FAQ
Rotton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rotton?
Name Census estimates that about 271 living Americans carry the surname Rotton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,264,776 residents.
How common is Rotton?
Rotton ranks #85,336 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 236 people with the surname Rotton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (271), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rotton.
Has Rotton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rotton went from 223 recorded bearers to 236. That is an increase of 13 (+5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #84,136 to #85,336.
What does the Census say about the background of Rotton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rotton, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Rotton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (215 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rotton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Black (4.2%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Rotton (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 Rotton mean?
A locational name referring to those who lived in a rotten or decaying area. 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 Rotton (0.08 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 share the surname Rotton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.