2000
#6,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,604
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Rodrigue
A patronymic surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, derived from the given name Rodrigo, meaning "famous ruler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,904 Americans carry the last name Rodrigue. That puts it at #6,350 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,055 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rodrigue 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
5.9K
1 in 58,055
Census rank
#6,350
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,149 bearers of the surname Rodrigue in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6350th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodrigue, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.4%) and Black (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rodrigue
The surname RODRIGUE is of Spanish and Portuguese origin, derived from the given name Rodrigo, which itself comes from the Germanic name Roderic, meaning "famous power" or "renowned ruler." The name's roots can be traced back to the Visigothic rulers of Spain and Portugal in the 5th to 8th centuries.
The earliest recorded instances of the RODRIGUE surname can be found in medieval Spanish and Portuguese records, often associated with noble families or individuals of notable stature. One notable example is Ruy Rodrigues de Bivar, better known as El Cid, a renowned Castilian knight and military leader from the 11th century who played a pivotal role in the Reconquista against the Moors.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure bearing the RODRIGUE surname was Ruy Rodrigues Ribeiro, a Portuguese nobleman and military commander who participated in the conquest of the Algarve region from the Moors. His descendants continued to use the RODRIGUE surname for several generations.
During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, as Spanish and Portuguese explorers and settlers ventured to the New World, the RODRIGUE surname was carried to various colonies and territories across the Americas. One notable figure from this era was Juan Rodrigues Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer who sailed for the Spanish Crown and is credited with the discovery of California in 1542.
In the realm of literature, the RODRIGUE surname is associated with José Rodrigues Miguéis, a renowned Portuguese novelist and short story writer from the early 20th century, known for his works such as "A Escola do Paraíso" and "Páscoa Feliz." He was born in 1901 and passed away in 1980.
Another notable figure with the RODRIGUE surname is Joaquim Rodrigues, a Portuguese motorcycle racer who has participated in various rally raid events, including the Dakar Rally and the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. He was born in 1979 and continues to compete professionally.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rodrigue
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodrigue, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.4%) and Black (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rodrigue 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 Rodrigue surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.5% · 3,526
- Hispanic or Latino21.4% · 1,104
- Black or African American6.1% · 312
- Two or more races2.4% · 123
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rodrigue
Rodrigue 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
#7,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,759
+155 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 283 places
2020
#6,350
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,149
+390 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Up 681 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,748 | 4,604 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,031 | 4,759 | 1.61 | +155 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 283 places |
| 2020 | #6,350 | 5,149 | 1.72 | +390 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 681 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 Rodrigue 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 | #7,031 | #6,350 | 9.7% |
| Count | 4,759 | 5,149 | 8.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.72 | 7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rodrigue bearers went from 4,759 to 5,149 (+8.2% change). The surname moved up 681 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,031 to #6,350.
FAQ
Rodrigue surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rodrigue?
Name Census estimates that about 5,904 living Americans carry the surname Rodrigue. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,055 residents.
How common is Rodrigue?
Rodrigue ranks #6,350 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.72 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 5,149 people with the surname Rodrigue. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,904), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.72 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 Rodrigue.
Has Rodrigue become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rodrigue went from 4,759 recorded bearers to 5,149. That is an increase of 390 (+8.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,031 to #6,350.
What does the Census say about the background of Rodrigue?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodrigue, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.4%) and Black (6.1%). 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 Rodrigue in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.5% (3,526 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rodrigue appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.5%), Hispanic (21.4%), Black (6.1%). 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 Rodrigue (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 Rodrigue mean?
A patronymic surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, derived from the given name Rodrigo, meaning "famous ruler." 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 Rodrigue (1.72 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 last name Rodrigue?
Want to know how common the surname Rodrigue is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.