2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rodamaker
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a maker or producer of rods or sticks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Rodamaker. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rodamaker 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.
Bearers in the US
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Rodamaker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodamaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rodamaker
The surname Rodamaker is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German words "rod" meaning "clearing" and "macher" meaning "maker," suggesting that the name may have referred to a person who cleared land or worked as a lumberjack.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the records of the city of Aachen, where a man named Hans Rodamaker was mentioned in a land deed from 1589. The name also appears in various church records and municipal documents from the 16th and 17teenth centuries in the regions of Rhineland and Westphalia.
In the late 17th century, some individuals bearing the Rodamaker surname migrated to the Netherlands, where the name was sometimes spelled as "Rodemaker" or "Roodemaker." A notable example is Jan Rodemaker, a Dutch painter who lived from 1648 to 1722 and was known for his still-life paintings.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as "Rodamaker," "Rodamacher," and "Rademacher." In the 18th century, some Rodamakers settled in England, where the name was anglicized to "Roadmaker" or "Roadmacher."
One of the earliest recorded Rodamakers in England was Johann Rodamaker, a German-born immigrant who arrived in London in the 1720s and worked as a merchant. His son, William Roadmaker (1745-1821), became a successful businessman and landowner in the city.
Another notable individual with the surname Rodamaker was Friedrich Rodamaker (1801-1879), a German-born author and political activist who lived in the United States. He wrote several books on American politics and was involved in the anti-slavery movement.
In the 19th century, the Rodamaker surname spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as families migrated from Europe in search of new opportunities. For instance, Jacob Rodamaker (1825-1901) was a German immigrant who settled in Canada and became a farmer in Ontario.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rodamaker
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodamaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rodamaker 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 Rodamaker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 5
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rodamaker
Rodamaker 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+30 bearers (+29.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 19,197 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-24 bearers (-18.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,888 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +30 bearers (+29.4%) | Up 19,197 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-18.2%) | Down 21,888 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 Rodamaker 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 | #129,047 | #150,935 | -17.0% |
| Count | 132 | 108 | -18.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rodamaker bearers went from 132 to 108 (-18.2% change). The surname moved down 21,888 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #150,935.
FAQ
Rodamaker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rodamaker?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Rodamaker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Rodamaker?
Rodamaker ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Rodamaker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rodamaker.
Has Rodamaker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rodamaker went from 132 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 24 (-18.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Rodamaker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodamaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Rodamaker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rodamaker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Rodamaker (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 Rodamaker mean?
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a maker or producer of rods or sticks. 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 Rodamaker (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Rodamaker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.