2000
#1,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,377
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.78
Uncommon Last name
Rodriquez
A patronymic surname of Spanish origin meaning "son of Rodrigo," a name derived from the Germanic name Hrodric.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,197 Americans carry the last name Rodriquez. That puts it at #1,594 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,603 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rodriquez 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
25K
1 in 13,603
Census rank
#1,594
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,973 bearers of the surname Rodriquez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1594th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodriquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.9%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rodriquez
The surname Rodriguez is of Spanish origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "Rodrigo", which in turn comes from the Germanic name "Roderick" meaning "famous power". The name was initially found in the northern regions of Spain, particularly in the areas of Galicia, Asturias, and Cantabria.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rodriguez can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census document from the 14th century. This document lists several individuals with the surname, including Gonzalo Rodriguez and Sancho Rodriguez, who were landowners in the region of Castile.
In the 15th century, the surname Rodriguez gained prominence with the birth of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid Campeador (c. 1043-1099), a celebrated Castilian knight and military leader. His exploits were immortalized in the epic poem "El Cantar de Mio Cid", which helped to solidify the name's association with bravery and heroism.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo (c. 1499-1543), a Portuguese-born explorer who sailed for Spain and is credited with the first European exploration of the coast of present-day California in 1542.
During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the surname Rodriguez was carried across the Atlantic and became widespread in Latin American countries. One of the most famous figures with this name was Simón Rodríguez (1769-1854), a Venezuelan philosopher, educator, and mentor to the revolutionary leader Simón Bolívar.
In the realm of art, the Spanish painter Joaquín Rodríguez (1895-1971) was a prominent figure in the early 20th century, known for his Cubist-inspired works and his role in the avant-garde movement.
Another notable individual with the surname is Richard Rodriguez (born 1944), an American writer and public intellectual who has explored issues of identity, ethnicity, and cultural assimilation in his works, such as "Hunger of Memory" and "Brown: The Last Discovery of America".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rodriquez
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodriquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.9%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rodriquez 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 Rodriquez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.5% · 19,457
- White7.9% · 1,725
- Black or African American1.7% · 372
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 184
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 121
- Two or more races0.5% · 114
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rodriquez
Rodriquez 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
#1,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,892
-3,485 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 7.76
Rank movement Down 355 places
2020
#1,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,973
-919 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 7.35
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,217 | 26,377 | 9.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,572 | 22,892 | 7.76 | -3,485 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 355 places |
| 2020 | #1,594 | 21,973 | 7.35 | -919 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 22 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 Rodriquez 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 | #1,572 | #1,594 | -1.4% |
| Count | 22,892 | 21,973 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 7.76 | 7.35 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rodriquez bearers went from 22,892 to 21,973 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,572 to #1,594.
FAQ
Rodriquez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rodriquez?
Name Census estimates that about 25,197 living Americans carry the surname Rodriquez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,603 residents.
How common is Rodriquez?
Rodriquez ranks #1,594 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,973 people with the surname Rodriquez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,197), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Rodriquez.
Has Rodriquez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rodriquez went from 22,892 recorded bearers to 21,973. That is a decrease of 919 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,572 to #1,594.
What does the Census say about the background of Rodriquez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodriquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.9%) and Black (1.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rodriquez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (19,457 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rodriquez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.5%), White (7.9%), Black (1.7%). 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 Rodriquez (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 Rodriquez mean?
A patronymic surname of Spanish origin meaning "son of Rodrigo," a name derived from the Germanic name Hrodric. 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 Rodriquez (7.35 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 are called Rodriquez?
Want to know how many people are called Rodriquez? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.