Explore the Family Name Rolston
The meaning of Rolston
English (Leicestershire): 1. habitational name either from Rolleston (Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire) and perhaps Rowston (Lincolnshire), Rolston (or Rowlston) in Mappleton (East Yorkshire), or from Rollestone in Upton Pyne, or Rolstone Barton in Morchard Bishop (both in Devon), or Rollestone (Wiltshire), and perhaps Rowlestone (Herefordshire) or Rolstone in Banwell (Somerset). The placenames have various etymological origins, though most are named with the Middle English personal name Rolf or the Old Norse personal name Hrólfr + Middle English toun ‘town, settlement’, Old English tūn ‘farmstead, estate’. See Rolfe. 2. variant of Rollison, shortened to Rolleson and altered by the addition of an intrusive -t-, as though it were a habitational name in -ston.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Rolston in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Rolston" ranked 16,938th in popularity in 2000 and slightly decreased to 17,202nd place by 2010, a slight change of -1.56%. The count of individuals bearing the surname increased from 1,549 in 2000 to 1,646 in 2010, a growth of 6.26%. However, the proportion per 100k people with Rolston as their surname experienced a slight decrease of -1.75% during the same time period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #16,938 | #17,202 | -1.56% |
| Count | 1,549 | 1,646 | 6.26% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.57 | 0.56 | -1.75% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Rolston
Concerning ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that a majority of those with the Rolston surname identified as White, making up 88.19% in 2000 and decreasing slightly to 85.84% in 2010. Those identifying as Black represented about 6.13% of the Rolstons in 2000 and this figure remained fairly steady at 6.14% in 2010. Individuals who belonged to two or more ethnic identities increased from 0.97% to 1.28%, while those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander also increased from 0.65% to 1.09%. There was a notable increase in the Hispanic population from 1.42% to 3.22%. Conversely, the percentage of Rolstons identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased from 2.65% to 2.43% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 88.19% | 85.84% | -2.66% |
| Black | 6.13% | 6.14% | 0.16% |
| Hispanic | 1.42% | 3.22% | 126.76% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 2.65% | 2.43% | -8.3% |
| Two or More Races | 0.97% | 1.28% | 31.96% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.65% | 1.09% | 67.69% |