# Ross (surname)

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

An English and Scottish habitational surname from Scottish Gaelic derived from any of several places of that name, from Scottish Gaelic ros (“headland”).

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scottish Gaelic |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 229,368 |
| US rank (2010) | 98 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 1,346 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.3% (219,961 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ɹɔs/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | Rosse |

## Etymology

* As a Scottish surname, from several places such as Roose in Cumbria or Roos in Yorkshire, both from Scottish Gaelic ros (“promontory”) or a Brythonic parallel of its source such as Welsh rhos (“moor, heath”). There were also several Norman families in Scotland who took their name from Rots in Calvados. Compare Rose, Rhodes. * As an English surname, from Wrose in Shipley, with loss of initial w. * As an English and German surname, from derivatives of the old Germanic root common in names *hrōþi (“fame”). Compare Rossell. * As a Cornish surname, from several places in Cornwall deriving from ros (“heathland”), related to the above Celtic word meaning "heath" or "promontory." See Rouse. * As a Jewish and German occupational surname for a breeder of horses, from the regional/poetic noun Ross (“horse”). Doublet of horse. * Also as a Jewish surname, Americanized from Rose.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Ross 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) | 69% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 24% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.8% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.9% |
| Two or more races | 2.3% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Ross in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Argentina and Austria.

## People named Ross

- Ronald Ross, British doctor, Nobel laureate, writer, and artist (1857–1932)
- Diana Ross, American singer and actress (1944-2026)
- Bob Ross, American painter, art instructor, television host, and Air Force master sergeant (1942–199
- Katharine Ross, American actress
- Rick Ross, American rapper and record executive
- Marion Ross, American actress (born 1928)
- Jim Ross, American professional wrestling commentator, professional wrestling referee, and restaurat
- Gary Ross, American director and screenwriter
- Herbert Ross, American film director (1927–2001)
- Betsy Ross, American upholsterer who was credited by her relatives with making the first American flag
- Jerry L. Ross, American astronaut
- Matt Ross, American actor

and 73 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Rose, Rios, Rosa, Rossi, Rouse, Russ, Rousseau, Roos, Rosso, Ros, Roose, Royse.

## 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.