Fun Facts About the Name Rodriguez
- 957 babies named Rodriguez: U.S. records list 957 babies given the name Rodriguez from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 girls received the name Rodriguez - about 1 girl for every 190 boys.
What Does the Name Rodriguez Mean?
Rodriguez is a Spanish patronymic surname meaning "son of Rodrigo." It is built from the given name Rodrigo plus the patronymic suffix -ez, the same ending found in González, Fernández, and Sánchez. Rodrigo descends from the Visigothic personal name Hrōþirīks, made of the elements hrōþi, meaning "fame" or "glory," and rīks, meaning "ruler" or "king." The underlying name therefore means roughly "famous ruler." The surname as a whole does not mean "famous ruler"; it identifies the bearer as a son or descendant of a man named Rodrigo, much as Johnson means "son of John."
Rodriguez Name History & Origins
Rodrigo was a well-established personal name in medieval Christian Spain. The last Visigothic king, who died at the Battle of Guadalete in 711, is remembered as Rodrigo (Roderic in English), and the name appears among later kings, nobles, and churchmen. Its best-known medieval bearer is Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, the eleventh-century Castilian nobleman called El Cid, but the name was already in wide use before him. The same Germanic root produced cognates elsewhere: English Roderick and German Roderich.
The surname developed from the habit of identifying a person through a parent. A man named Rodrigo would have children recorded as Rodríguez - "Rodrigo's son" or "Rodrigo's daughter" - and in time such patronymics stopped shifting with each generation and became fixed family names. The -ez ending itself is generally explained as an old genitive that once meant "of" or "belonging to" the father; scholars have proposed more than one route for it, including a Latin genitive ending and a Visigothic or Romance source, so its exact origin is not fully settled.
Through Spanish emigration and the colonial era, Rodríguez spread across Latin America and the Philippines. As a hereditary surname it is written with an accent (Rodríguez) in Spanish, while English usage usually drops it.
How Popular is the Name Rodriguez?
Rodriguez has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1981. Its best rank was #1,390 in 1981.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | #8,994 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | #9,511 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #7,054 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #13,639 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #8,652 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2013 | #9,483 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #8,021 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #5,626 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2010 | #11,895 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #10,733 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #9,680 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #5,261 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 2005 | #7,015 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2004 | #5,736 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2003 | #5,818 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2002 | #5,659 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2001 | #4,261 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2000 | #11,772 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #5,257 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #6,729 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #5,209 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #5,461 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1995 | #4,227 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1994 | #4,052 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1993 | #3,476 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1992 | #4,285 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1991 | #2,387 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 1990 | #3,569 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 1989 | #2,343 | 29 | 0.0014% |
| 1988 | #2,424 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1987 | #3,170 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1986 | #2,863 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1985 | #2,578 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1984 | #3,242 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1983 | #1,947 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1982 | #1,617 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1981 | #1,390 | 47 | 0.0026% |
| 1980 | #2,043 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1979 | #2,091 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1978 | #1,826 | 29 | 0.0018% |
| 1977 | #1,700 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 1976 | #1,533 | 36 | 0.0023% |
| 1975 | #1,474 | 37 | 0.0024% |
| 1974 | #1,783 | 27 | 0.0017% |
| 1973 | #1,812 | 25 | 0.0016% |
| 1972 | #1,712 | 27 | 0.0017% |
| 1971 | #2,530 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1970 | #2,110 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1969 | #2,522 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1968 | #3,058 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #2,945 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1966 | #3,478 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #3,851 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #3,962 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #3,954 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #3,987 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #3,980 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #3,515 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #3,811 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with R
How the Name Rodriguez Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are a law unto itself. Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You are tolerant and like to help humanity. You are very active. You are generally warmhearted and gives freely of your time, energy, and sympathetic understanding. You have tolerance and acceptance of the frailties of others. Universal and humanitarian in outlook. This is very compassionate name. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Rodriguez's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Rodriguez's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.