How common is the surname Ross?

229,368 people in the United States had the surname Ross in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,346 Americans. It ranked 98th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Ross?

Ronald Ross, British doctor, Nobel laureate, writer, and artist (1857–1932), followed by Diana Ross.

Where is the surname Ross most common?

Wikidata records people named Ross in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.

Is the surname Ross getting more or less common?

More common. 219,961 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 229,368 in 2010, up 4.3%.

Is Ross also a first name?

Yes. Ross is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Ross

A Scottish Gaelic occupational surname, the 98th most common in the United States.

Pronounced /ɹɔs/ 1 syllable Soundex R200 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Ross is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

Scottish Gaelic origin

* 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.

Ross is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

One of 277 Scottish Gaelic surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 229,368 people named Ross in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,346 Americans. That is up 4.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 219,961.

#98

rank among US surnames

229,368

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+4.3%

change since 2000 (was #89)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#89	Ruiz	238,234	1,296
#90	Hughes	236,271	1,307
#91	Price	235,251	1,312
#92	Alvarez	233,983	1,320
#93	Castillo	230,420	1,340
#94	Sanders	230,374	1,340
#95	Patel	229,973	1,343

Who is named Ross

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

69% of people named Ross identified as white (not Hispanic), 24% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.8% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 69%
Black (not Hispanic) 24%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.8%
Two or more races 2.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Rosss

85 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

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, born 1940
Rick Ross
American rapper and record executive, born 1976
Marion Ross
American actress (born 1928)
Jim Ross
American professional wrestling commentator, professional wrestling referee, and restaurat, born 1952
Gary Ross
American director and screenwriter, born 1956
Herbert Ross
American film director (1927–2001)
Betsy Ross
American upholsterer who was credited by her relatives with making the first American flag, 1752–1836
Jerry L. Ross
American astronaut, born 1948
Matt Ross
American actor, born 1970

Notable Rosss come mostly from the United States (75), Australia (4) and the United Kingdom (3).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Rosse

Surnames that sound like Ross

Ross has the Soundex code R200, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code R200.

Other Scottish Gaelic surnames

All 277 Scottish Gaelic surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Ross come from?: * 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…
How common is the surname Ross?: 229,368 people in the United States had the surname Ross in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,346 Americans. It ranked 98th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Ross?: In the 2010 Census, 69% of people named Ross identified as white (not Hispanic), and 24% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Ross?: Ronald Ross, British doctor, Nobel laureate, writer, and artist (1857–1932), followed by Diana Ross.
Where is the surname Ross most common?: Wikidata records people named Ross in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.
How do you pronounce Ross?: Ross is /ɹɔs/, one syllable.
What type of surname is Ross?: Ross is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
Is the surname Ross getting more or less common?: More common. 219,961 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 229,368 in 2010, up 4.3%.
What are other spellings of Ross?: Rosse.
Is Ross also a first name?: Yes. Ross is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.