2000
#2,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,008
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.82
Uncommon Last name
Rhoads
An English toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near a road, often derived from the Old English "rod."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,987 Americans carry the last name Rhoads. That puts it at #2,694 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,870 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rhoads 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 Rhoads with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,870
Census rank
#2,694
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,069 bearers of the surname Rhoads in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2694th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhoads, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rhoads
The surname RHOADS is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "rod," which meant a clearing or a path through the woods. It was originally an occupational name for someone who lived near a rode or forest clearing.
The name first appeared in historical records in the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Rodis."
In the 12th century, the name began to appear in various spellings such as Rodes, Rodes, and Rohdes, reflecting the regional dialects of different parts of England. The spelling "RHOADS" emerged in the 16th century and became the predominant form in some areas.
The RHOADS surname has been associated with several notable historical figures over the centuries. One of the earliest was Sir John Rhoads (c. 1330-1405), a prominent English landowner and knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War.
Another notable bearer of the name was John RHOADS (1673-1743), a Quaker leader and early settler in Pennsylvania who founded the town of Rhoads Ford, now known as Downingtown.
In the 18th century, Benjamin RHOADS (1738-1820) was a prominent American businessman and philanthropist who helped establish the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia.
During the American Civil War, Samuel Rhoads (1838-1917) served as a Union Army officer and later became a successful businessman and politician in Ohio.
More recently, Harlan RHOADS (1899-1982) was an American physicist and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of radar technology during World War II.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have borne the RHOADS surname throughout history, reflecting its enduring legacy across various fields and locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rhoads
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhoads, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rhoads 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 Rhoads surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 11,741
- Two or more races3.8% · 497
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 462
- Black or African American1.2% · 153
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 106
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rhoads
Rhoads 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
#2,690
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,389
+381 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 4.54
Rank movement Down 133 places
2020
#2,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,069
-320 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 4.37
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,557 | 13,008 | 4.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,690 | 13,389 | 4.54 | +381 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 133 places |
| 2020 | #2,694 | 13,069 | 4.37 | -320 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 4 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 Rhoads 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 | #2,690 | #2,694 | -0.1% |
| Count | 13,389 | 13,069 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.54 | 4.37 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rhoads bearers went from 13,389 to 13,069 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,690 to #2,694.
FAQ
Rhoads surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rhoads?
Name Census estimates that about 14,987 living Americans carry the surname Rhoads. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,870 residents.
How common is Rhoads?
Rhoads ranks #2,694 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,069 people with the surname Rhoads. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,987), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Rhoads.
Has Rhoads become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rhoads went from 13,389 recorded bearers to 13,069. That is a decrease of 320 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,690 to #2,694.
What does the Census say about the background of Rhoads?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhoads, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Rhoads in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (11,741 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rhoads appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Rhoads (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 Rhoads mean?
An English toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near a road, often derived from the Old English "rod." 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 Rhoads (4.37 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 common is the surname Rhoads?
Find out how many people are called Rhoads on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.