2000
#5,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,396
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.37
Rare Last name
Rodney
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Hroda's island" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,571 Americans carry the last name Rodney. That puts it at #7,967 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,985 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rodney 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 Rodney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,985
Census rank
#7,967
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,986 bearers of the surname Rodney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7967th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodney, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.3%. The next largest groups are White (32.7%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rodney
The surname Rodney has its origins in Normandy, France, dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old French word "rondel," meaning "round hill" or "small fort." The name was likely given to someone who lived near a distinctive round hill or fortification.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Rodney can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions a Norman noble named Walter de Rodeneye, who held lands in Wiltshire.
As the Rodney family established itself in England, variations in spelling emerged, including Rodeney, Rodenay, and Rodnay. Some of these variations were influenced by the places where the family settled, such as the village of Rodney Stoke in Somerset.
In the 13th century, Sir Walter de Rodney was a prominent figure in the court of King John. He was granted lands in Staffordshire and is believed to have played a role in the negotiations that led to the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Sir John Rodney (c. 1531-1612), an English naval commander who served under Queen Elizabeth I during the Anglo-Spanish War. He was involved in several important naval battles, including the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Rodney family produced several distinguished military leaders. George Brydges Rodney (1718-1792) was a British naval officer who achieved significant victories against the French and Spanish fleets during the American Revolutionary War.
Another famous Rodney was Caesar Rodney (1728-1784), an American patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was known for his daring midnight ride from Dover to Philadelphia in 1776 to cast a crucial vote in favor of independence.
In the 19th century, John Rodney (1789-1866) was a prominent American politician who served as a United States Senator from Delaware and as the Secretary of State under President John Quincy Adams.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rodney
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodney, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.3%. The next largest groups are White (32.7%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rodney 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 Rodney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American56.3% · 2,245
- White32.7% · 1,303
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 217
- Two or more races4.2% · 169
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rodney
Rodney 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
#8,106
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,089
-2,307 bearers (-36.1%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 3,072 places
2020
#7,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,986
-103 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Up 139 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,034 | 6,396 | 2.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,106 | 4,089 | 1.39 | -2,307 bearers (-36.1%) | Down 3,072 places |
| 2020 | #7,967 | 3,986 | 1.33 | -103 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 139 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 Rodney 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 | #8,106 | #7,967 | 1.7% |
| Count | 4,089 | 3,986 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.33 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rodney bearers went from 4,089 to 3,986 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 139 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,106 to #7,967.
FAQ
Rodney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rodney?
Name Census estimates that about 4,571 living Americans carry the surname Rodney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,985 residents.
How common is Rodney?
Rodney ranks #7,967 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,986 people with the surname Rodney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,571), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rodney.
Has Rodney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rodney went from 4,089 recorded bearers to 3,986. That is a decrease of 103 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,106 to #7,967.
What does the Census say about the background of Rodney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodney, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.3%. The next largest groups are White (32.7%) and Hispanic (5.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rodney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.3% (2,245 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rodney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (56.3%), White (32.7%), Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Rodney (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 Rodney mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Hroda's island" in Old English. 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 Rodney (1.33 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 common is the surname Rodney?
Want to know how many people have the surname Rodney? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.