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

Rodríguez, 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 Rodríguez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rodríguez in America

Rodríguez is the 102197th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rodríguez surname appeared 176 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 Rodríguez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rodríguez 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 Rodríguez

The surname Rodriguez is of Spanish origin, derived from the personal name Rodrigo, which was a common name in medieval Spain. The name Rodrigo comes from the Germanic name Roderick, which means "famous power" or "rich ruler."

The earliest recorded use of the name Rodriguez dates back to the 12th century in Spain. It is believed to have been first used as a patronymic surname, indicating that the person was the son of someone named Rodrigo. Over time, it became a hereditary surname passed down from generation to generation.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name Rodriguez was Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid, a legendary Castilian knight and military leader who lived from 1043 to 1099. His exploits were celebrated in the epic poem "El Cantar de Mio Cid," which is considered one of the masterpieces of Spanish literature.

Another notable figure with the surname Rodriguez was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer who sailed for the Spanish crown in the 16th century. In 1542, he explored the coast of what is now California and is credited with being the first European to set foot on the West Coast of the present-day United States.

In the 17th century, Sebastián Rodríguez de Gamarra was a Spanish colonial administrator and governor of the Captaincy General of Chile from 1670 to 1677. He played a crucial role in the defense of Chile against the Mapuche resistance and the expansion of Spanish settlements in the region.

During the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century, Narciso Rodríguez Arellano (1876-1923) was a prominent military leader and supporter of the revolutionary forces led by Venustiano Carranza. He fought against the forces of Victoriano Huerta and played a significant role in the overthrow of the Huerta regime.

In the field of literature, José Rodríguez Feo (1829-1901) was a Cuban poet and playwright who is considered one of the most important figures in Cuban literature of the 19th century. His plays, such as "El Marqués de Santillana" and "El Tío Perucho," were instrumental in developing a distinct Cuban theatrical tradition.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Rodriguez, a name that has its roots in medieval Spain and has since spread across the Spanish-speaking world and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rodríguez

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

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

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

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