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

Rodewald, 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 Rodewald surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rodewald in America

Rodewald is the 21926th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rodewald surname appeared 1,184 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 Rodewald.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rodewald 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.

The history of the last name Rodewald

The surname Rodewald originated in Germany and is believed to date back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German words "rode," meaning a clearing or cleared land, and "wald," meaning forest or woods. As such, the name likely referred to someone who lived in or near a clearing in a forested area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Rodewalde, near Halberstadt in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The town's name, which dates back to the 13th century, is strikingly similar to the surname and may indicate a connection between the two.

In the 17th century, a notable figure named Johann Rodewald (1588-1657) was a German theologian and professor of theology at the University of Greifswald. He was known for his work on the Book of Revelation and his defense of Lutheran orthodoxy.

Another early bearer of the name was Johann Friedrich Rodewald (1713-1784), a German composer and organist who served as the court organist and composer for the Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

In the 19th century, Carl Rodewald (1808-1879) was a German historian and writer who authored several works on the history of Pomerania, a region in northern Germany.

Moving into the 20th century, Ilse Rodewald (1897-1975) was a German actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and stage productions during the early part of the century.

Hans Rodewald (1920-2005) was a German-born American physicist who made significant contributions to the study of solid-state physics and the development of semiconductor devices.

While these are just a few examples, the surname Rodewald has a long and storied history, reflecting its origins in the forested regions of Germany and the contributions of its bearers over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rodewald

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

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 Rodewald was:

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

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

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

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