2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Roduner
A topographic surname denoting a person who lived near a meadow or clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Roduner. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roduner 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Roduner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roduner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roduner
The surname RODUNER is believed to have originated from Switzerland, likely in the late medieval period or early modern era. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "rod", meaning a clearing or a piece of land that has been cleared for cultivation, and the suffix "-uner" which indicates a person or inhabitant of a particular place.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, names derived from geographical locations or occupations were common in Switzerland and other parts of Europe. It is possible that the RODUNER surname originated from a specific location or village where the early bearers of the name lived or worked on cleared land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the RODUNER name can be found in the archives of the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, where a Hans Roduner is mentioned in a land transaction document dated 1538. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the mid-16th century.
Another notable mention of the RODUNER name comes from the 17th century, when a Johann Roduner (1621-1689) was a prominent Protestant pastor and theologian in the city of Zürich. His writings and sermons were influential during the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland.
In the 19th century, a Swiss-born artist named Johann Jakob Roduner (1828-1901) gained recognition for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the Swiss Alps. His works can be found in various museums and private collections across Europe.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several individuals with the RODUNER surname emigrated from Switzerland to other parts of the world, such as the United States and Canada, where they and their descendants have continued to use the name.
One notable individual was Emil Roduner (1885-1962), a Swiss-American engineer and inventor who obtained several patents for his innovative designs in the fields of mechanical engineering and automotive technology.
Another noteworthy figure was Hans Roduner (1905-1992), a Swiss chemist and professor who made significant contributions to the field of physical chemistry, particularly in the study of molecular structure and spectroscopy.
While the RODUNER surname is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various professions and backgrounds, reflecting the cultural diversity and traditions of Switzerland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roduner
Among Census respondents with the surname Roduner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Roduner 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 Roduner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 107
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roduner
Roduner 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,471 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+7 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,953 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 4,471 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.7%) | Up 6,953 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 Roduner 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 | #154,907 | #147,954 | 4.5% |
| Count | 105 | 112 | 6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roduner bearers went from 105 to 112 (+6.7% change). The surname moved up 6,953 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #147,954.
FAQ
Roduner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roduner?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Roduner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Roduner?
Roduner ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Roduner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Roduner.
Has Roduner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roduner went from 105 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 7 (+6.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Roduner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roduner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Roduner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roduner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Roduner (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 Roduner mean?
A topographic surname denoting a person who lived near a meadow or clearing. 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 Roduner (0.04 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 common is the surname Roduner?
Find out how many people have the surname Roduner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.