2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Rodvold
From the Old Norse, meaning "fame" and "ruler/wielder".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Rodvold. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rodvold 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Rodvold in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodvold, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%) and Two or More Races (7.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rodvold
The surname RODVOLD is of Norwegian origin, originating in the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Old Norse words "rauðr" meaning "red" and "völlr" meaning "field" or "meadow". This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or owned a red-colored field or meadow.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 14th century in various Norwegian records and manuscripts. One notable example is a mention of a man named Rodvold Jonsson in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomatics, from the year 1387.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name appeared in various forms, such as Rødvold, Raudvold, and Raudevold, reflecting the evolution of the Norwegian language and regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname was Torbjørn Rodvold, a prominent Norwegian landowner and chieftain who lived in the late 15th century. His descendants continued to use the name in various parts of Norway over the following centuries.
Another notable figure was Nils Rodvold, a Norwegian sailor and explorer who accompanied the famous Dutch navigator Willem Barents on his expeditions to the Arctic regions in the late 16th century (c. 1550-1597).
In the 17th century, the name appeared in the records of the Ringsaker parish in Hedmark, Norway, where a family named Rodvold owned a farm and played a significant role in the local community.
During the 18th century, a man named Hans Rodvold (1712-1785) gained recognition as a skilled craftsman and woodcarver, contributing to the traditional Norwegian folk art and architecture of the time.
In the 19th century, the name was carried by Kristian Rodvold (1837-1912), a Norwegian-American author and journalist who immigrated to the United States and became a prominent figure in the Norwegian-American community.
While the surname RODVOLD has its roots in Norway, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and has taken on various spellings and variations in different languages and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rodvold
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodvold, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%) and Two or More Races (7.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rodvold 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 Rodvold surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.0% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.6% · 8
- Two or more races7.6% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rodvold
Rodvold appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 5,443 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 Rodvold 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 | #158,432 | #152,989 | 3.4% |
| Count | 102 | 105 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rodvold bearers went from 102 to 105 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 5,443 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #152,989.
FAQ
Rodvold surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rodvold?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Rodvold. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Rodvold?
Rodvold ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Rodvold. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Rodvold.
Has Rodvold become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rodvold went from 102 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Rodvold?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodvold, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%) and Two or More Races (7.6%). 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 Rodvold in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.0% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rodvold appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%), Two or More Races (7.6%). 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 Rodvold (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 Rodvold mean?
From the Old Norse, meaning "fame" and "ruler/wielder". 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 Rodvold (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 many Americans have the surname Rodvold?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.