2000
#5,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,340
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.98
Rare Last name
Rodman
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a road or pathway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,648 Americans carry the last name Rodman. That puts it at #6,602 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,686 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rodman 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 Rodman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 60,686
Census rank
#6,602
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,925 bearers of the surname Rodman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6602nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rodman
The surname Rodman is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "rod" meaning "a clearing" and "mann" meaning "a man." It can be traced back to the 12th century and was initially used as a descriptive name for someone who lived in a clearing or woodland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rodman is found in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1197, where it appears as "Rodeman." This spelling variation is indicative of the name's evolution over time.
In the 13th century, the name Rodman appeared in various records and manuscripts, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where it was listed as "Rodeman de Sutton."
The name Rodman has also been associated with certain place names, such as Rodmarton in Gloucestershire, which was originally recorded as "Radmantun" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This connection suggests that the surname may have derived from a place name in some cases.
Among notable individuals with the surname Rodman throughout history, one can mention:
1. Thomas Rodman (1615-1688), an English settler in Rhode Island and one of the founders of the town of Kingstown.
2. John Rodman (1775-1847), an American merchant and politician from Philadelphia.
3. Isaac Peace Rodman (1822-1862), a Union naval officer during the American Civil War.
4. Hugh Rodman (1859-1940), an American naval officer who served as the Governor of the Panama Canal Zone from 1915 to 1918.
5. Dennis Rodman (born 1961), a former professional basketball player and one of the most famous individuals to bear the surname.
The surname Rodman has a rich history dating back centuries, with its roots firmly planted in the English language and culture. Its evolution reflects the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have borne this name throughout the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rodman
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rodman 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 Rodman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 4,153
- Black or African American5.2% · 257
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 255
- Two or more races3.5% · 174
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rodman
Rodman 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
#6,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,585
+245 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.89
Rank movement Down 199 places
2020
#6,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,925
-660 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Down 468 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,935 | 5,340 | 1.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,134 | 5,585 | 1.89 | +245 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 199 places |
| 2020 | #6,602 | 4,925 | 1.65 | -660 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 468 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 Rodman 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 | #6,134 | #6,602 | -7.6% |
| Count | 5,585 | 4,925 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.89 | 1.65 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rodman bearers went from 5,585 to 4,925 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 468 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,134 to #6,602.
FAQ
Rodman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rodman?
Name Census estimates that about 5,648 living Americans carry the surname Rodman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,686 residents.
How common is Rodman?
Rodman ranks #6,602 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.65 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 4,925 people with the surname Rodman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,648), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.65 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 Rodman.
Has Rodman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rodman went from 5,585 recorded bearers to 4,925. That is a decrease of 660 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,134 to #6,602.
What does the Census say about the background of Rodman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rodman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (4,153 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rodman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Black (5.2%), Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Rodman (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 Rodman mean?
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a road or pathway. 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 Rodman (1.65 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 are called Rodman?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Rodman? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.