2000
#17,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,515
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Rodela
A surname possibly derived from Spanish words referring to a small shield or buckler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,105 Americans carry the last name Rodela. That puts it at #15,382 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,829 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rodela 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
2.1K
1 in 162,829
Census rank
#15,382
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,836 bearers of the surname Rodela in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15382nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rodela
The surname Rodela is of Spanish origin, and it is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Spanish word "rodela," which means a small round shield or buckler used in combat. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a person who was a skilled warrior or a member of a military order.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Rodela can be found in various historical documents from Spain, particularly in regions such as Castile and Aragon. In the 15th century, a notable individual named Juan Rodela was mentioned in a manuscript detailing the conquest of Granada, indicating the name's presence during the Reconquista period.
During the 16th century, the name Rodela appears in records related to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. One prominent figure was Pedro de Rodela, a conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 1500s.
In the 17th century, the surname Rodela was associated with a famous Spanish painter, Juan de Rodela (1597-1665), who was known for his religious and mythological works. His paintings can be found in various churches and museums throughout Spain.
Another notable individual bearing the surname Rodela was Francisca Rodela (1688-1759), a Spanish nun and mystic who was known for her spiritual writings and her work in establishing a convent in Seville.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname Rodela was Manuel Rodela (1820-1892), a Spanish politician and statesman who served as a member of the Cortes and held various governmental positions during the reign of Queen Isabella II.
Throughout its history, the surname Rodela has been associated with various places and regions in Spain. For instance, there is a town called Rodela in the province of Burgos, which may have contributed to the spread and variations of the name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rodela
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rodela 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 Rodela surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.7% · 1,611
- White9.5% · 175
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 16
- Two or more races0.7% · 13
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rodela
Rodela 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
#15,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,888
+373 bearers (+24.6%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 1,718 places
2020
#15,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,836
-52 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,221 | 1,515 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,503 | 1,888 | 0.64 | +373 bearers (+24.6%) | Up 1,718 places |
| 2020 | #15,382 | 1,836 | 0.61 | -52 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 121 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 Rodela 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 | #15,503 | #15,382 | 0.8% |
| Count | 1,888 | 1,836 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.61 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rodela bearers went from 1,888 to 1,836 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 121 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,503 to #15,382.
FAQ
Rodela surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rodela?
Name Census estimates that about 2,105 living Americans carry the surname Rodela. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,829 residents.
How common is Rodela?
Rodela ranks #15,382 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,836 people with the surname Rodela. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,105), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rodela.
Has Rodela become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rodela went from 1,888 recorded bearers to 1,836. That is a decrease of 52 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,503 to #15,382.
What does the Census say about the background of Rodela?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Rodela in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (1,611 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rodela appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.7%), White (9.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Rodela (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 Rodela mean?
A surname possibly derived from Spanish words referring to a small shield or buckler. 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 Rodela (0.61 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 common is the surname Rodela?
Find out how many people have the last name Rodela on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.