Explore the Family Name Roanhorse

The meaning of Roanhorse

Native American (mainly Navajo; also Roan Horse): translation into English of a personal name such as Navajo Biłí˛í˛ daałbáhí (literally ‘His Roan Horses’), derived from łí˛í˛ʼ łibáí ‘roan horse’ (see Billie 1). See also Horse 1 and Roan 5.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Roanhorse in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Roanhorse has seen a slight increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 44,192nd in terms of popularity, but by 2010 it had risen slightly to 43,285th. The total count of individuals with this surname also increased from 459 in 2000 to 499 in 2010, marking an 8.71% increase. However, as a proportion per 100,000 people, the incidence of the surname remained constant at 0.17.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#44,192	#43,285	2.05%
Count	459	499	8.71%
Proportion per 100k	0.17	0.17	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Roanhorse

When considering ethnic identity, the Roanhorse surname is most prominent within the American Indian and Alaskan Native community, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. In both 2000 and 2010, over 91% of those bearing the surname identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native. There were minor changes in other categories over this period. Those identifying as White rose from 1.96% to 2.61%, while those reporting two or more ethnic identities dropped from 5.45% to 3.01%. The census introduced the category of Hispanic for this surname in 2010, with 2.40% of Roanhorses identifying as such. No Roanhorses identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or Black in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
American Indian and Alaskan Native	91.72%	91.78%	0.07%
Two or More Races	5.45%	3.01%	-44.77%
White	1.96%	2.61%	33.16%
Hispanic	0%	2.4%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%