2000
#4,660
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,957
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.58
Rare Last name
Roddy
A Scottish surname derived from a diminutive form of the given name Roderick, meaning "famous ruler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,678 Americans carry the last name Roddy. That puts it at #5,074 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,641 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roddy 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 Roddy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,641
Census rank
#5,074
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,696 bearers of the surname Roddy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5074th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roddy
The surname Roddy is believed to have originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Celtic name Rothaidh, which means "the red one" or "the ruddy one," likely referring to a person's hair color or complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Scottish Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Here, the name appears as "Rothy" and "Rothe."
In the 15th century, the name was also spelled as "Rothie" and "Rothy" in various Scottish records and manuscripts. Some variations, such as "Roddey" and "Roddie," emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Roddy surname is particularly associated with the regions of Aberdeenshire and Angus in Scotland, where it is believed to have originated. It is also found in other parts of the country, such as the Scottish Borders and the Highlands.
One notable person with the surname Roddy was George Roddy (1785-1854), a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Royal Scottish Academy and the High School.
Another prominent figure was Sir George Roddy (1892-1971), a British army officer who served in both World Wars and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his bravery.
In the 18th century, a man named James Roddy (1728-1794) was a prominent merchant and landowner in Pennsylvania, United States. He is considered one of the earliest bearers of the surname in North America.
The Roddy name was also represented in the arts, with John Roddy (1870-1934), an Irish-born American actor who appeared in several silent films and stage productions in the early 20th century.
Finally, William Roddy (1925-2007) was a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 1979, representing the riding of Middlesex.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roddy
Among Census respondents with the surname Roddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Roddy 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 Roddy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.6% · 4,931
- Black or African American18.0% · 1,203
- Two or more races4.0% · 265
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 219
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roddy
Roddy 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
#4,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,127
+170 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 2.42
Rank movement Down 279 places
2020
#5,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,696
-431 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 2.24
Rank movement Down 135 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,660 | 6,957 | 2.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,939 | 7,127 | 2.42 | +170 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 279 places |
| 2020 | #5,074 | 6,696 | 2.24 | -431 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 135 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 Roddy 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 | #4,939 | #5,074 | -2.7% |
| Count | 7,127 | 6,696 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.42 | 2.24 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roddy bearers went from 7,127 to 6,696 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 135 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,939 to #5,074.
FAQ
Roddy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roddy?
Name Census estimates that about 7,678 living Americans carry the surname Roddy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,641 residents.
How common is Roddy?
Roddy ranks #5,074 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,696 people with the surname Roddy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,678), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Roddy.
Has Roddy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roddy went from 7,127 recorded bearers to 6,696. That is a decrease of 431 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,939 to #5,074.
What does the Census say about the background of Roddy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Roddy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.6% (4,931 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roddy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.6%), Black (18.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Roddy (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 Roddy mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a diminutive form of the given name Roderick, meaning "famous ruler." 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 Roddy (2.24 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 Roddy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.