2000
#5,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,413
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.38
Rare Last name
Rood
An English toponymic surname derived from a place where a cross or crucifix once stood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,671 Americans carry the last name Rood. That puts it at #5,735 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,380 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rood 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rood with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,380
Census rank
#5,735
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,817 bearers of the surname Rood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5735th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rood, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rood
The surname Rood originated in the Netherlands and Belgium during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Dutch and Flemish word 'rood,' meaning red, which may have referred to a person's hair color or complexion. Alternatively, it could have indicated a location near a red-colored building or landmark.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Rood surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as 'Rode,' which was likely a variant spelling or an anglicized version of the original Dutch or Flemish name.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Willem Rood was mentioned in the city records of Ghent, Belgium. He was a prominent merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the city's economic affairs during that time.
Another early example is Jan Rood, a Dutch painter born in 1615 in Haarlem, Netherlands. He was known for his portraiture and genre scenes, and his works are exhibited in various museums across Europe.
During the 17th century, a family named Rood settled in the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which later became part of New York State. One of their descendants, Jacob Rood, was a prominent farmer and landowner in the Hudson Valley region, born in 1712.
In the 18th century, Johann Rood, a German composer and organist, was born in 1746 in Hanover. He is known for his contributions to church music and his compositions for organ and other instruments.
Another notable bearer of the Rood surname was Sir John Rood, a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1778 and gained recognition for his bravery and leadership during the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
These examples illustrate the historical presence of the Rood surname across various regions and cultures, highlighting its Dutch and Flemish origins and its subsequent spread throughout Europe and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rood
Among Census respondents with the surname Rood, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rood 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 Rood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 5,301
- Two or more races3.5% · 203
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 196
- Black or African American0.8% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rood
Rood 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
#5,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,254
-159 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Down 541 places
2020
#5,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,817
-437 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.95
Rank movement Down 175 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,019 | 6,413 | 2.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,560 | 6,254 | 2.12 | -159 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 541 places |
| 2020 | #5,735 | 5,817 | 1.95 | -437 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 175 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 Rood 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 | #5,560 | #5,735 | -3.1% |
| Count | 6,254 | 5,817 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.12 | 1.95 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rood bearers went from 6,254 to 5,817 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 175 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,560 to #5,735.
FAQ
Rood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rood?
Name Census estimates that about 6,671 living Americans carry the surname Rood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,380 residents.
How common is Rood?
Rood ranks #5,735 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,817 people with the surname Rood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,671), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Rood.
Has Rood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rood went from 6,254 recorded bearers to 5,817. That is a decrease of 437 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,560 to #5,735.
What does the Census say about the background of Rood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rood, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Rood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (5,301 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Rood (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 Rood mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place where a cross or crucifix once stood. 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 Rood (1.95 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 have the surname Rood?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.