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

Rodrigo, 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 Rodrigo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rodrigo in America

Rodrigo is the 19321st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rodrigo surname appeared 1,401 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rodrigo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rodrigo 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 Rodrigo

The surname Rodrigo is of Spanish origin, stemming from the medieval Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to have originated as a patronymic surname, derived from the given name Rodrigo, which itself has origins in the Visigothic name Roderic.

During the 8th century, the name Roderic was borne by the last Visigothic king of Hispania, Roderic the Goth, who ruled from 710 to 711 AD. His reign marked the end of the Visigothic Kingdom, as he was defeated by the invading Moors at the Battle of Guadalete in 711. The name Rodrigo likely gained prominence and became a surname in the aftermath of this historical event.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rodrigo can be found in the Catalan Atlas, a renowned portolan atlas created by the famous Majorcan cartographer Abraham Cresques in 1375. This atlas contains references to individuals with the surname Rodrigo, indicating its use as a hereditary name by that time.

In the 15th century, the Spanish explorer and conquistador, Diego Rodrigo, was born in Seville. He accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493 and later became one of the first European settlers in the Caribbean.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Antonio Rodrigo, a Spanish painter and engraver who lived during the 16th century. He is best known for his works depicting religious subjects and scenes from the Old Testament.

In the realm of literature, the Spanish writer and poet, Rodrigo Caro y Cejudo (1573-1647), is celebrated for his works such as "Antiguedades y Principado de la Ilustrissima Ciudad de Sevilla" and "Relacion de las Inscripciones y Antigüedad de la Villa de Utrera."

During the 17th century, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid, was a renowned Castilian nobleman, military leader, and one of the most famous figures in Spanish history. His exploits were immortalized in the epic poem "El Cantar de Mio Cid," which recounts his life and adventures.

Throughout history, the surname Rodrigo has been associated with various places, such as the town of Rodrigo in the province of Salamanca, Spain, and the Rodrigo River in Argentina, further cementing its Spanish roots and geographical connections.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rodrigo

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

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

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

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