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

Rodrigues, 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 Rodrigues surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rodrigues in America

Rodrigues is the 16228th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rodrigues surname appeared 1,779 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 Rodrigues.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rodrigues 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 Rodrigues

The surname Rodriges is of Portuguese origin, and it has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the personal name Rodrigo, which has its origins in the Germanic name Roderick, meaning "famous power" or "famous ruler."

The earliest known record of the surname Rodriges can be traced back to the 12th century in Portugal. During this time, the use of hereditary surnames was becoming more common among the nobility and upper classes, and Rodriges was adopted by families with ties to the name Rodrigo.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rodriges can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a 14th-century Portuguese manuscript that chronicles the genealogies of noble families. This manuscript mentions several individuals with the surname Rodriges, suggesting its widespread use among the Portuguese nobility.

In the 15th century, the surname Rodriges gained further prominence with individuals like João Rodriges de Sá (1450-1511), a Portuguese navigator and explorer who played a significant role in the Portuguese exploration of the Atlantic Ocean and the colonization of Brazil.

Another notable figure bearing the surname Rodriges was Manuel Rodriges Navarro (1585-1640), a Portuguese mathematician and cosmographer who made significant contributions to the fields of navigation and cartography.

During the Age of Discovery, many Portuguese explorers and settlers carried the surname Rodriges to various parts of the world, including Brazil, Africa, and Asia. As a result, the name can be found in many former Portuguese colonies and territories.

Other notable individuals with the surname Rodriges include:

1. Americo Rodriges (1859-1923), a Brazilian poet and journalist.
2. Rodolfo Rodriges (1901-1972), a Brazilian politician and lawyer.
3. Francisco Rodriges Lobo (1580-1622), a Portuguese poet and author.
4. Aquilino Rodriges (1887-1963), a Portuguese writer and journalist.
5. Vasco Rodriges (1512-1571), a Portuguese navigator and explorer.

While the surname Rodriges has its origins in Portugal, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly in regions with strong Portuguese cultural influences, such as Brazil and parts of Africa and Asia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rodrigues

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!