Explore the Family Name Roman
The meaning of Roman
1. Spanish and Hungarian (Román); Catalan, French (mainly Occitan), English, Dutch, German, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, Rusyn, Belorussian, and Croatian: from the Latin personal name Romanus, which originally meant ‘Roman’. This name was borne by several Christian saints, including a 7th-century bishop of Rouen, and was a baptismal name of the Russian prince Boris, who is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church. In North America, this surname is also an altered form of the standard French form Romain and a shortened form of Slavic patronymics like Polish Romanowicz. Compare Romano. 2. Americanized form of German Romann: variant of 1 above or from the ancient Germanic personal name Hrodman (see Rodeman). 3. English: habitational name or nickname from Middle English Romain ‘Roman’ (Old French romain(e), roman), applied to someone from Rome or Italy in general, or to someone who had a connection with Rome, perhaps having been there on a pilgrimage. See Rome, Romer. History: Some of the American bearers of the surname Roman are descendants of Jean Romain (later Roman) dit Sanscrainte from France (see Romain). Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Juan, Luis, Manuel, Carlos, Angel, Jorge, Miguel, Pedro, Francisco, Julio, Mario.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Roman in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Roman has seen a significant increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname ranked at 507 in terms of general popularity and rose to 452 by 2010, marking an impressive growth rate of 10.85%. Furthermore, the number of recorded instances for this surname went up from 59,020 in 2000 to 72,918 in 2010, an increase of 23.55%. The proportion of individuals with the Roman surname per 100,000 people also increased by 12.98% during the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #507 | #452 | 10.85% |
| Count | 59,020 | 72,918 | 23.55% |
| Proportion per 100k | 21.88 | 24.72 | 12.98% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Roman
Regarding ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of individuals with the Roman surname identified as Hispanic. There was an increase in the percentage of this group over the decade, rising from 70.64% in 2000 to 75.67% in 2010. On the other hand, the percentage of individuals identifying as White decreased from 25.56% to 20.79% during the same period. Minor changes were observed in the other categories: the Asian/Pacific Islander category saw a small increase (from 0.94% to 0.97%), while those identifying as Black reported a slight decrease (from 1.98% to 1.86%). There was a notable decline in individuals reporting two or more races (from 0.72% down to 0.51%) and a minor increase in the American Indian and Alaskan Native category (from 0.17% up to 0.20%).
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 70.64% | 75.67% | 7.12% |
| White | 25.56% | 20.79% | -18.66% |
| Black | 1.98% | 1.86% | -6.06% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.94% | 0.97% | 3.19% |
| Two or More Races | 0.72% | 0.51% | -29.17% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.17% | 0.2% | 17.65% |
Roman ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Roman is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 29.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Indigenous American (15.5%) and British & Irish (14.3%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, French & German, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Greek & Balkan.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Spanish & Portuguese | 29.6% |
| Indigenous American | 15.5% |
| British & Irish | 14.3% |
| Other | 40.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Roman
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Roman have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Puerto Rico.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 32.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 31.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 31.70% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 31.70% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 31.50% |
What Roman haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Roman is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include T-CTS2214 and Q-M3, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Vega, Medina, Franco, Romero, Molina, Fernandez, Rodriguez, Rivera, Castro, Santos.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Roman surname are: A2, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to some of the first Americans
Though the Ice Age was beginning to retreat when your A2 ancestors first entered North America, there were still massive barriers blocking their way. Glaciers and inhospitable climate covered much of the continent, blocking entry into the interior. Nonetheless, researchers have found evidence that a wave of American founders migrated over 13,000 kilometers to reach southern Chile in only 2,000 years, a blink of an eye in the story of human migration! Their highway to the south was the coast of the Pacific, stocked with fish, diverse marine mammals, and other valuable resources in the rich kelp forests of the upper latitudes and in the abundant fresh-water rivers near the equator. Because of this rapid movement south, the A2 haplogroup and its diverse branches are found throughout North and South America.
What do people with the surname Roman have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Roman" Surname 44.7%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Roman" Surname 31.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Roman" Surname 21.4%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Roman" Surname 17.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Roman?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Roman are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition