Rodebush last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Rodebush

A surname likely derived from a place name containing elements relating to clearing land.

Rodebush, 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 Rodebush surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rodebush in America

Rodebush is the 91981st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rodebush surname appeared 200 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 Rodebush.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rodebush 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank9198197848-6.18%
Count20017215.05%
Proportion per 100k0.070.0615.38%

The history of the last name Rodebush

The surname Rodebush has its origins in Germany and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German words "rod" meaning "clearing" and "busch" meaning "bush" or "thicket." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a clearing in a wooded area or a thicket.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which mentions a "Rodebuschen" in the year 1375. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.

The name Rodebush can also be found in various historical records from other parts of Germany, such as the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch, which contains documents from the former Duchy of Württemberg, and mentions a "Rudebuschen" in 1342.

In the late 15th century, the name appears in the records of the University of Heidelberg, where a student named Johannes Rodebush was enrolled in 1491.

As the name spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Rodebusch, Rodebusche, and Roedebush.

Notable individuals with the surname Rodebush include:

  1. Georg Rodebush (1597-1658), a German theologian and author from Saxony.
  2. Johann Rodebush (1657-1718), a German composer and organist from Thuringia.
  3. Anna Maria Rodebush (1705-1780), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg.
  4. Wilhelm Rodebush (1789-1867), a German botanist and explorer from Westphalia.
  5. Karl Rodebush (1872-1949), an American chemist and professor at the University of Michigan, born in Hesse, Germany.

While the name Rodebush is not as widespread today as it once was, it remains a testament to the rich history and diversity of German surnames, often rooted in the geographical features and occupations of the regions where they originated.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rodebush

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

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 Rodebush was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only96.50%193
Non-Hispanic Black Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native2.50%5
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races0.00%0
Hispanic Origin(S)%(S)

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 Rodebush has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White96.50%94.77%1.81%
Black0.00%0.00%0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native2.50%3.49%-33.06%
Two or More Races0.00%(S)%(S)%
Hispanic(S)%(S)%(S)%

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 Rodebush was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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