2000
#310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 88,917
First available Census row
Per 100,000 32.96
Uncommon Last name
Rhodes
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a clearing or rode in a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 99,277 Americans carry the last name Rhodes. That puts it at #353 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 28.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,453 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rhodes 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 Rhodes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
99K
1 in 3,453
Census rank
#353
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
29.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
87K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 86,574 bearers of the surname Rhodes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 28.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 353rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhodes, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rhodes
The surname Rhodes originated in Britain, with roots tracing back to the Anglo-Saxon era. It is derived from the Old English word "rod," meaning a clearing or a small piece of land. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived in a clearing or a small settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Rode." This entry indicates that the name was already in use during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name evolved into various spellings, such as "Rodes," "Roades," and "Rhoades," before settling on the modern spelling of "Rhodes" around the 16th century.
The name is also associated with several place names in England, such as Rhodes in Lancashire and Rhodes in Yorkshire. These place names likely influenced the development of the surname as well.
One notable historical figure with the surname Rhodes was Sir John Rhodes (1537-1592), an English merchant and landowner who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1592.
Another prominent individual was Sir Francis Rhodes (1598-1677), an English judge and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of England from 1671 to 1677.
In the 19th century, Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902) was a British businessman, mining magnate, and politician who played a significant role in the colonization of southern Africa. He founded the territory of Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe and Zambia, and bequeathed his wealth to establish the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.
Renowned American novelist and playwright James A. Rhodes (1909-1992) also bore this surname. He is best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Bright Traveling" in 1932.
In the realm of sports, Dusty Rhodes (1945-2015) was a famous American professional wrestler and trainer, widely regarded as one of the most charismatic and influential figures in the industry during the 1970s and 1980s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rhodes
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhodes, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rhodes 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 Rhodes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.7% · 62,081
- Black or African American19.7% · 17,029
- Two or more races4.1% · 3,587
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 2,888
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 541
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 448
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rhodes
Rhodes 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
#343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 90,670
+1,753 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 30.74
Rank movement Down 33 places
2020
#353
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 86,574
-4,096 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 28.96
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #310 | 88,917 | 32.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #343 | 90,670 | 30.74 | +1,753 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 33 places |
| 2020 | #353 | 86,574 | 28.96 | -4,096 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 10 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 Rhodes 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 | #343 | #353 | -2.9% |
| Count | 90,670 | 86,574 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 30.74 | 28.96 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rhodes bearers went from 90,670 to 86,574 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #343 to #353.
FAQ
Rhodes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rhodes?
Name Census estimates that about 99,277 living Americans carry the surname Rhodes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,453 residents.
How common is Rhodes?
Rhodes ranks #353 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 28.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 29 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 86,574 people with the surname Rhodes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (99,277), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 28.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 28.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 29 of them to have the surname Rhodes.
Has Rhodes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rhodes went from 90,670 recorded bearers to 86,574. That is a decrease of 4,096 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #343 to #353.
What does the Census say about the background of Rhodes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhodes, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Rhodes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.7% (62,081 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rhodes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.7%), Black (19.7%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Rhodes (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 Rhodes mean?
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a clearing or rode in a forest. 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 Rhodes (28.96 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 Rhodes?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Rhodes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.