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

Rodger, 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 Rodger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rodger in America

Rodger is the 16993rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rodger surname appeared 1,672 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rodger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rodger 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 Rodger

The surname Rodger originated from the Scots and northern English diminutive form of the male given name Roger, which was itself derived from the Old German name Rodger. This Germanic name was composed of the elements hrod, meaning "fame," and ger, meaning "spear."

The Rodger surname is believed to have first appeared in the Scottish Lowlands and northern England around the 12th century. It was common for diminutive suffixes like "er" to be added to given names to form surnames during this period. Early variations of the spelling included Rodgere, Rogere, and Roddyer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rodger surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The rolls mention a person named Hugo Rogger from the county of Berwick, Scotland.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various records from Yorkshire, England. The Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379 listed a John Rodger as a resident of Bubwith. The nearby village of Rodgerfield, mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, may have derived its name from an early bearer of the surname.

Notable figures with the Rodger surname include William Rodger (c. 1460-1528), a Scottish historian and theologian who served as Principal of the University of Glasgow. John Rodger (1740-1811) was a British naval officer who commanded HMS Foudroyant at the Battle of Camperdown in 1797.

Other prominent individuals include Alexander Rodger (1784-1846), a Scottish miniature painter known for his portrait work, and George Rodger (1908-1995), a British photojournalist and co-founder of the Magnum Photos agency. James Rodger (1841-1895) was a Scottish architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Glasgow, including the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rodger

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

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

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

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