2000
#4,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,867
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.55
Rare Last name
Roderick
Derived from the Germanic elements "hrod" meaning fame and "ric" meaning power, indicating a powerful ruler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,182 Americans carry the last name Roderick. That puts it at #5,377 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,724 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roderick 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 Roderick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,724
Census rank
#5,377
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,263 bearers of the surname Roderick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5377th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roderick, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roderick
The surname Roderick originated in the United Kingdom, deriving from the Old English words "rod" meaning "red" and "ric" meaning "power" or "ruler". The name likely referred to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion who held a position of authority.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Roderic". The entry refers to a landowner in Wiltshire, England.
In the 12th century, Roderick de Salisbury was a prominent figure in the court of King Henry II of England. He served as the Bishop of Bangor from 1163 to 1175.
During the 13th century, Roderick ap Gruffydd (c. 1195-1282) was a Welsh prince and military leader who fought against the English forces in Wales.
Sir Roderick Murchison (1792-1871) was a Scottish geologist and the first president of the Royal Geographical Society. He is credited with establishing the Silurian system, a major division of geologic time.
In literature, Roderick Usher is the central character in the short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe, published in 1839.
Other notable individuals with the surname Roderick include James Roderick McIntosh (1827-1906), a Canadian politician and businessman, and Roderick David "Roddy" Macdonald (1928-2018), a Scottish singer and comedian.
The name has also been associated with several place names in the United Kingdom, such as Roderick's Stone in Shropshire and Roderick's Field in Oxfordshire, both of which likely derived their names from individuals with the surname Roderick.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roderick
Among Census respondents with the surname Roderick, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Roderick 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 Roderick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 5,283
- Black or African American5.2% · 324
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 289
- Two or more races4.6% · 288
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roderick
Roderick 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
#4,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,039
+172 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 2.39
Rank movement Down 264 places
2020
#5,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,263
-776 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Down 390 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,723 | 6,867 | 2.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,987 | 7,039 | 2.39 | +172 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 264 places |
| 2020 | #5,377 | 6,263 | 2.10 | -776 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 390 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 Roderick 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 | #4,987 | #5,377 | -7.8% |
| Count | 7,039 | 6,263 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.39 | 2.10 | -12.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roderick bearers went from 7,039 to 6,263 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 390 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,987 to #5,377.
FAQ
Roderick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roderick?
Name Census estimates that about 7,182 living Americans carry the surname Roderick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,724 residents.
How common is Roderick?
Roderick ranks #5,377 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.10 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 6,263 people with the surname Roderick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,182), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.10 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 Roderick.
Has Roderick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roderick went from 7,039 recorded bearers to 6,263. That is a decrease of 776 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,987 to #5,377.
What does the Census say about the background of Roderick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roderick, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Roderick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (5,283 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roderick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Black (5.2%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Roderick (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 Roderick mean?
Derived from the Germanic elements "hrod" meaning fame and "ric" meaning power, indicating a powerful 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 Roderick (2.10 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 Roderick?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Roderick is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.