# Roe (surname)

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

A surname transferred from the nickname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | nickname, from a description or nickname of an ancestor |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 25,286 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,406 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 12,210 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.4% (24,699 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ɹoʊ/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From a Middle English nickname meaning a roe.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Roe 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) | 91% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 3.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.2% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 1.7% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Roe in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

## People named Roe

- Tommy Roe, American pop music singer-songwriter
- Alex Roe, British actor (born 1990)
- Phil Roe, American politician
- James M. Roe, American astronomer
- Lou Roe, American basketball player (born 1972)
- Channon Roe, American actor
- Eugene Roe, American military personnel and combat medic (1922-1998)
- Tim Roe, Australian road cyclist
- Garrett Roe, American ice hockey player
- Evan Roe, American actor

## Similar surnames

Roy, Roa, Ro, Row, Roh, Rowe, Roye, Rohe, Ray, Rea, Rao, Rau.

## 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.