History of your Surname
Get access to Roman family records.Start a free trial

Roman Family History

Roman Name Meaning

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 . Americanized form of German Romann: variant of 1 above or from the ancient Germanic personal name Hrodman (see Rodeman ). 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 .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Romano, Roma, Oman, Doman, Roan, Rozman, Rosman, Romans, Rom, Romani

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Roman family from?

You can see how Roman families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Roman family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Roman families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 57 Roman families living in London. This was about 30% of all the recorded Roman's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Roman families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Roman surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
Mapbox
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap Improve this map

What did your Roman ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Builders Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Roman. 60% of Roman men worked as a Builders Labourer and 89% of Roman women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Roman were General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic. .

View Census Data for Roman | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • Builders Labourer
    60%
  • General Labourer
    40%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    89%
  • Mica Hand
    3%
  • Unpaid Household Duties
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Roman family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 157,000 census records available for the last name Roman. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Roman census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Roman

Passenger Lists

There are 35,000 immigration records available for the last name Roman. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Roman immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 35,000 military records available for the last name Roman. For the veterans among your Roman ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Roman military records

You've only scratched the surface of Roman family history

Discover More

What is the average Roman lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Roman life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Roman in 1944 was 30, and 71 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Roman

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Roman family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Roman last name

Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial