# Rochester (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/rochester/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A British surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 4,024 |
| US rank (2010) | 8,238 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 76,726 people |
| Change since 2000 | +7.2% (3,752 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɹɑt͡ʃɛstɚ/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Rossiter, Roshter, Rachacha |

## Etymology

From Middle English Rovescester, from Old English Hrofesċeaster (literally “Hrofi's fortified camp”). Doublet of Rossiter.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Rochester in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 64% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 30% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.2% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Rochester in the United States.

## People named Rochester

- Lisa Blunt Rochester, American politician (born 1962)
- Nathaniel Rochester, American computer scientist (1919–2001)

## Similar surnames

Register, Rakestraw, Racicot.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.