2000
#1,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,952
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.65
Uncommon Last name
Rhoades
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the road" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,186 Americans carry the last name Rhoades. That puts it at #2,007 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,980 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rhoades surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rhoades with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 16,980
Census rank
#2,007
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,603 bearers of the surname Rhoades in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2007th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhoades, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rhoades
The surname Rhoades has its origins in the United Kingdom, deriving from the Old English word "rod," meaning a clearing or a small piece of land. It is believed to have emerged as a surname in the 12th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "Rode" and "Rodis." These entries suggest that the name was initially used to identify individuals who lived near or owned a small parcel of land or a clearing.
In the centuries that followed, the surname underwent various spelling variations, such as Rhodes, Rodes, and Rhoades. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name.
One notable early bearer of the surname was John Rhoades, a member of the English Parliament who was born in 1532 and died in 1592. He represented the constituency of Taunton in Somerset during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent figure was Sir Godfrey Rhoades, a British diplomat and colonial administrator who lived from 1837 to 1912. He served as the Governor of British Honduras (now Belize) and later became the Lieutenant-Governor of the Windward Islands.
In the United States, the Rhoades surname can be traced back to the colonial era, with several early settlers bearing the name. One such individual was Henry Rhoades, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 and became a prominent landowner and planter in the region.
The name Rhoades has also been associated with several place names throughout history. For instance, the village of Rhodes in Shropshire, England, was once known as "Rodes" in medieval records. Similarly, the town of Rhodes in Yorkshire was referred to as "Rodhes" in the 13th century.
Other notable individuals with the Rhoades surname include Katharine Rhoades (1838-1920), an American educator and suffragist, and Trumbull Rhoades (1890-1952), an American artist and illustrator known for his work in magazines and children's books.
Throughout its history, the surname Rhoades has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including politicians, diplomats, educators, and artists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rhoades
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhoades, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rhoades bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Rhoades surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 15,621
- Two or more races3.9% · 689
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 600
- Black or African American2.5% · 433
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 136
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 124
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rhoades
Rhoades appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,508
+556 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 6.27
Rank movement Down 111 places
2020
#2,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,603
-905 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 5.89
Rank movement Down 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,838 | 17,952 | 6.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,949 | 18,508 | 6.27 | +556 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 111 places |
| 2020 | #2,007 | 17,603 | 5.89 | -905 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 58 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Rhoades surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,949 | #2,007 | -3.0% |
| Count | 18,508 | 17,603 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.27 | 5.89 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rhoades bearers went from 18,508 to 17,603 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,949 to #2,007.
FAQ
Rhoades surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rhoades?
Name Census estimates that about 20,186 living Americans carry the surname Rhoades. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,980 residents.
How common is Rhoades?
Rhoades ranks #2,007 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,603 people with the surname Rhoades. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,186), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Rhoades.
Has Rhoades become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rhoades went from 18,508 recorded bearers to 17,603. That is a decrease of 905 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,949 to #2,007.
What does the Census say about the background of Rhoades?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhoades, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rhoades in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (15,621 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rhoades appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Rhoades (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Rhoades mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the road" in Old English. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Rhoades (5.89 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Rhoades?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.