Find out how popular the last name Rhodus is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rhodus.

Rhodus, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rhodus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rhodus in America

Rhodus is the 21790th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rhodus surname appeared 1,193 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rhodus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rhodus to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rhodus

The surname Rhodus is believed to have originated in the Aegean region, specifically on the Greek island of Rhodes. It likely emerged during the Byzantine period, between the 4th and 15th centuries AD. The name may derive from the Greek word "rhodon," meaning rose, suggesting a possible association with the island's famous roses or its fertile soil.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rhodus can be found in the 14th-century Greek manuscript "Codex Rhodiensis," which contains legal codes and decrees from the island of Rhodes. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Rhodus, indicating that the name was already established in the region by that time.

During the Renaissance, a notable figure with the surname Rhodus was Joannes Rhodus (c. 1460-1535), a Greek scholar and humanist who taught at the University of Paris. He was renowned for his translations of ancient Greek texts and his contributions to the study of classical literature.

In the 16th century, the name Rhodus appeared in the Venetian archives, as the island of Rhodes was under Venetian control from 1204 to 1522. Records from this period mention several individuals with variations of the surname, such as Rodi, Rodio, and Rodino, which likely derived from the Italian spelling of the island's name.

Another notable bearer of the surname Rhodus was Theodorus Rhodus (c. 1570-1625), a Greek physician and botanist who practiced in Venice. He is credited with introducing several medicinal plants from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe and publishing treatises on their properties.

In the 18th century, the name Rhodus surfaced in the records of the British East India Company, as some individuals with this surname were involved in trade and exploration in the region. One such figure was Captain John Rhodus (c. 1720-1780), who commanded several voyages to the East Indies and the Pacific.

As the name Rhodus spread throughout Europe and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Rhodes, Rodes, and Rodis, reflecting local linguistic adaptations. However, the connection to the island of Rhodes remained a common thread in the surname's history and etymology.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rhodus

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rhodus.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rhodus was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rhodus has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rhodus was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rhodus, please contact us.

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