2000
#4,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,743
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.50
Uncommon Last name
Rodas
A Catalan and Spanish topographic surname indicating the bearer lived near a clearing or by a wayside cross.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,846 Americans carry the last name Rodas. That puts it at #2,911 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,755 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rodas 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
14K
1 in 24,755
Census rank
#2,911
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,074 bearers of the surname Rodas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2911th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rodas
The surname Rodas has its origins in Spain, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "roda," meaning "wheel" or "circle," suggesting that the name may have been associated with individuals involved in occupations related to wheel-making or living near a circular geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rodas can be found in the 13th-century Cartulario de Valpuesta, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Burgos. This suggests that the name was already established in northern Spain by that time.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various historical records from the Kingdom of Aragon, including references to individuals such as Jaime Rodas, a merchant from Valencia, and Pedro Rodas, a landowner in Zaragoza.
The 16th century saw the Rodas name spread to the Americas, with notable individuals like Bartolomé Rodas, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the 1520s.
During the 17th century, the Rodas family gained prominence in the region of Andalusia, with Juan Rodas (1590-1669), a renowned poet and playwright from Seville, being one of the most celebrated figures of that era.
In the 18th century, the name Rodas was associated with several military figures, including José Rodas (1725-1797), a Spanish naval officer who participated in the Battle of Cape St. Vincent during the American Revolutionary War.
As the Rodas name spread throughout Spain and its colonies, it gave rise to various place names, such as the town of Rodas in the province of Burgos and the village of Rodasviejas in the province of Valladolid.
Over the centuries, the Rodas surname has been carried by numerous notable individuals, including Manuel Rodas (1821-1898), a Mexican politician and governor of Chihuahua; Catalina Rodas (1862-1938), a Guatemalan poet and feminist activist; and Enrique Rodas (1886-1958), a Peruvian writer and diplomat.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rodas
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rodas 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 Rodas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.3% · 11,143
- White6.0% · 722
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 115
- Black or African American0.4% · 47
- Two or more races0.2% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rodas
Rodas 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
#3,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,327
+4,584 bearers (+68.0%)
Per 100,000 3.84
Rank movement Up 1,589 places
2020
#2,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,074
+747 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 4.04
Rank movement Up 282 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,782 | 6,743 | 2.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,193 | 11,327 | 3.84 | +4,584 bearers (+68.0%) | Up 1,589 places |
| 2020 | #2,911 | 12,074 | 4.04 | +747 bearers (+6.6%) | Up 282 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 Rodas 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 | #3,193 | #2,911 | 8.8% |
| Count | 11,327 | 12,074 | 6.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.84 | 4.04 | 5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rodas bearers went from 11,327 to 12,074 (+6.6% change). The surname moved up 282 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,193 to #2,911.
FAQ
Rodas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rodas?
Name Census estimates that about 13,846 living Americans carry the surname Rodas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,755 residents.
How common is Rodas?
Rodas ranks #2,911 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.04 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 12,074 people with the surname Rodas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,846), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.04 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 Rodas.
Has Rodas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rodas went from 11,327 recorded bearers to 12,074. That is an increase of 747 (+6.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,193 to #2,911.
What does the Census say about the background of Rodas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rodas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (11,143 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rodas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.3%), White (6.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Rodas (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 Rodas mean?
A Catalan and Spanish topographic surname indicating the bearer lived near a clearing or by a wayside cross. 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 Rodas (4.04 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 people have the last name Rodas?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Rodas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.