2000
#1,204
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,652
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.88
Uncommon Last name
Rodrigues
A patronymic surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, meaning "son of Rodrigo" or "son of Rui."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,920 Americans carry the last name Rodrigues. That puts it at #1,203 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,412 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rodrigues 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 Rodrigues with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,412
Census rank
#1,203
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,708 bearers of the surname Rodrigues in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1203rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodrigues, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.1%) and Black (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rodrigues
The surname RODRIGUES is of Portuguese origin, derived from the personal name Rodrigo, which itself is derived from the Germanic name Roderick, meaning "famous power" or "famous ruler." The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Portugal and Spain.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname RODRIGUES date back to the 13th century in medieval Portugal. It is believed to have originated from the northwestern region of Portugal, particularly in the provinces of Minho and Douro Litoral, where many bearers of the name can be found in historical records.
In the 14th century, there are records of a nobleman named João Rodrigues, who served as a royal advisor and diplomat during the reign of King Afonso IV of Portugal (1325-1357). Another notable figure from this period was Pedro Rodrigues, a scholar and clergyman who wrote extensively on Portuguese history and geography.
During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, several individuals with the surname RODRIGUES played significant roles in the Portuguese explorations and conquests. One such individual was João Rodrigues Cabrilho, a Portuguese explorer who is credited with the first European exploration of the West Coast of North America in 1542-1543.
Another prominent figure was Simão Rodrigues, a Portuguese priest and one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) alongside St. Ignatius of Loyola. He was born in 1510 and played a crucial role in the early expansion of the Jesuit order.
In the realm of literature, Sóror Violante do Céu (1602-1693), a Portuguese nun and writer, is considered one of the most important figures of the Portuguese Baroque period. Her surname RODRIGUES was derived from her father's name.
During the colonial era, the surname RODRIGUES spread to various parts of the Portuguese Empire, including Brazil, Africa, and Asia. In Brazil, for example, there are numerous records of individuals with the surname RODRIGUES, including José Honório Rodrigues (1913-1987), a renowned Brazilian historian and scholar.
Throughout history, the surname RODRIGUES has been associated with various professionals, including scientists, artists, politicians, and military figures, reflecting the widespread distribution of this name across Portuguese-speaking regions and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rodrigues
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodrigues, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.1%) and Black (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rodrigues 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 Rodrigues surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.5% · 14,792
- Hispanic or Latino31.1% · 8,921
- Black or African American6.4% · 1,840
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.4% · 1,837
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,214
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 104
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rodrigues
Rodrigues 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
#1,122
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,280
+4,628 bearers (+17.4%)
Per 100,000 10.60
Rank movement Up 82 places
2020
#1,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,708
-2,572 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 9.60
Rank movement Down 81 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,204 | 26,652 | 9.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,122 | 31,280 | 10.60 | +4,628 bearers (+17.4%) | Up 82 places |
| 2020 | #1,203 | 28,708 | 9.60 | -2,572 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 81 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 Rodrigues 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 | #1,122 | #1,203 | -7.2% |
| Count | 31,280 | 28,708 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 10.60 | 9.60 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rodrigues bearers went from 31,280 to 28,708 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 81 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,122 to #1,203.
FAQ
Rodrigues surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rodrigues?
Name Census estimates that about 32,920 living Americans carry the surname Rodrigues. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,412 residents.
How common is Rodrigues?
Rodrigues ranks #1,203 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,708 people with the surname Rodrigues. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,920), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Rodrigues.
Has Rodrigues become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rodrigues went from 31,280 recorded bearers to 28,708. That is a decrease of 2,572 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,122 to #1,203.
What does the Census say about the background of Rodrigues?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodrigues, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.1%) and Black (6.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rodrigues in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.5% (14,792 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rodrigues appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.5%), Hispanic (31.1%), Black (6.4%). 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 Rodrigues (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 Rodrigues mean?
A patronymic surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, meaning "son of Rodrigo" or "son of Rui." 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 Rodrigues (9.60 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 surname Rodrigues?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.