2000
#13,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Rondon
A Spanish habitational surname denoting someone from any of several places called Rondón, derived from "redondo" meaning "round."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,313 Americans carry the last name Rondon. That puts it at #8,431 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,470 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rondon 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
4.3K
1 in 79,470
Census rank
#8,431
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,761 bearers of the surname Rondon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8431st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rondon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Black (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rondon
The surname Rondon has its origins in Portugal, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Portuguese word "rondon," which means "fat and round." This suggests that the surname might have initially been a nickname for a person with a rotund physique.
In the early 1600s, records show the surname appearing in various regions of Portugal, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. One of the earliest documented instances was in a parish register from the town of Viana do Castelo, where a man named João Rondon was listed as a resident.
The name Rondon can also be traced back to the small village of Rondão, located in the municipality of Sabugal, near the Spanish border. It is possible that the surname derived from this place name or that the village itself was named after an early settler with the surname Rondon.
One of the earliest and most notable individuals bearing the surname Rondon was Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon, a Brazilian explorer, military officer, and ethnographer. Born in 1865, he is remembered for leading expeditions into the Amazon rainforest and establishing peaceful contact with indigenous tribes.
Another prominent figure was Manuel Rondon, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Chile in the 16th century. He played a significant role in the subjugation of the Mapuche people and the founding of several cities in the region.
In the 18th century, a Portuguese nobleman named José Rondon de Sousa was appointed as the governor of the Portuguese colony of Mozambique, serving from 1765 to 1768.
During the 19th century, a Brazilian politician and lawyer named João Rondon de Souza e Silva held various influential positions, including serving as a deputy in the National Assembly and as the president of the province of Rio Grande do Sul.
Another notable figure was María Rondon, a Venezuelan poet and activist who lived in the early 20th century. She was known for her work promoting the rights of indigenous communities and her advocacy for social justice.
While the surname Rondon has its roots in Portugal, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in fields ranging from exploration and conquest to politics and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rondon
Among Census respondents with the surname Rondon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Black (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rondon 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 Rondon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.3% · 3,357
- White6.5% · 246
- Black or African American2.6% · 97
- Two or more races1.0% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rondon
Rondon 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
#10,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,049
+913 bearers (+42.7%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 2,605 places
2020
#8,431
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,761
+712 bearers (+23.4%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Up 2,089 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,125 | 2,136 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,520 | 3,049 | 1.03 | +913 bearers (+42.7%) | Up 2,605 places |
| 2020 | #8,431 | 3,761 | 1.26 | +712 bearers (+23.4%) | Up 2,089 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 Rondon 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 | #10,520 | #8,431 | 19.9% |
| Count | 3,049 | 3,761 | 23.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 1.26 | 22.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rondon bearers went from 3,049 to 3,761 (+23.4% change). The surname moved up 2,089 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,520 to #8,431.
FAQ
Rondon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rondon?
Name Census estimates that about 4,313 living Americans carry the surname Rondon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,470 residents.
How common is Rondon?
Rondon ranks #8,431 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,761 people with the surname Rondon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,313), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rondon.
Has Rondon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rondon went from 3,049 recorded bearers to 3,761. That is an increase of 712 (+23.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,520 to #8,431.
What does the Census say about the background of Rondon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rondon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Black (2.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rondon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (3,357 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rondon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.3%), White (6.5%), Black (2.6%). 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 Rondon (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 Rondon mean?
A Spanish habitational surname denoting someone from any of several places called Rondón, derived from "redondo" meaning "round." 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 Rondon (1.26 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 share the surname Rondon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.