2010
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rodillas
A Spanish surname likely derived from the word "rodilla" meaning "knee".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 147 Americans carry the last name Rodillas. That puts it at #136,082 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,331,662 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rodillas 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
147
1 in 2,331,662
Census rank
#136,082
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
128
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 128 bearers of the surname Rodillas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 136082nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodillas, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.8%) and Two or More Races (10.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rodillas
The surname Rodillas originates from Spain, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "rodilla," meaning "knee," which is believed to have been a descriptive name given to someone with a distinctive physical characteristic or occupation related to the knee.
In the early medieval period, the name was primarily found in the regions of Castile and Aragon, where it first emerged. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile, where a person named Rodrigo Rodillas is mentioned.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name spread to other parts of Spain, particularly in the regions of Andalusia and Catalonia. Notable individuals with the surname Rodillas from this period include Pedro Rodillas, a 16th-century poet and humanist from Valencia, and Bartolomé Rodillas, a renowned painter from Seville who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
As Spain expanded its empire across the Atlantic, the name Rodillas also found its way to the Americas. One of the earliest recorded instances is Juan Rodillas, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the 16th century.
In the 18th century, the name appears in various historical documents, including the baptismal records of the parish of San Ginés in Madrid, where several individuals with the surname Rodillas were recorded.
Throughout history, the Rodillas surname has been associated with various notable figures. Some examples include:
1. Miguel Rodillas y Viaplana (1750-1824), a Spanish painter and engraver from Valencia.
2. José Rodillas y Clavijo (1782-1848), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Minister of War during the reign of Isabella II.
3. Mariano Rodillas y Novales (1805-1875), a Spanish poet and playwright from Madrid.
4. Emilio Rodillas Gómez (1916-1996), a Spanish lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Labor during the Franco regime.
5. Enrique Rodillas García (1901-1984), a Spanish architect known for his modernist designs in Madrid and other Spanish cities.
While the surname Rodillas has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly in Latin American countries with strong Spanish influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rodillas
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodillas, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.8%) and Two or More Races (10.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rodillas 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 Rodillas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander64.1% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino14.8% · 19
- Two or more races10.2% · 13
- White7.0% · 9
- Black or African American2.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rodillas
Rodillas appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#136,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+5 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 367 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #136,082 | 128 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.1%) | Up 367 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 Rodillas 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 | #136,449 | #136,082 | 0.3% |
| Count | 123 | 128 | 4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rodillas bearers went from 123 to 128 (+4.1% change). The surname moved up 367 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #136,082.
FAQ
Rodillas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rodillas?
Name Census estimates that about 147 living Americans carry the surname Rodillas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,331,662 residents.
How common is Rodillas?
Rodillas ranks #136,082 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 128 people with the surname Rodillas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (147), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rodillas.
Has Rodillas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rodillas went from 123 recorded bearers to 128. That is an increase of 5 (+4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #136,449 to #136,082.
What does the Census say about the background of Rodillas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodillas, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.8%) and Two or More Races (10.2%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rodillas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.1% (82 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rodillas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (64.1%), Hispanic (14.8%), Two or More Races (10.2%). 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 Rodillas (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 Rodillas mean?
A Spanish surname likely derived from the word "rodilla" meaning "knee". 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 Rodillas (0.04 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 surname Rodillas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.