2000
#394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 73,021
First available Census row
Per 100,000 27.07
Uncommon Last name
Rodgers
An English surname derived from the given name Roger, meaning "famous spear" or "renowned warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 84,452 Americans carry the last name Rodgers. That puts it at #441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 24.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,059 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rodgers 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 Rodgers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
84K
1 in 4,059
Census rank
#441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
24.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
74K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 73,646 bearers of the surname Rodgers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 24.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodgers, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rodgers
The surname Rodgers originated in England and Scotland, derived from the Old English words "rod" meaning "a clearing or pasture" and "ger" meaning "spear". It is believed to have first appeared as a surname in the 12th century, referring to someone who lived near a clearing in a forest or worked as a huntsman or gamekeeper.
In the 13th century, the surname Rodgers was recorded in various forms such as Roger, Rogerson, and Roggers in tax rolls and parish records across England and Scotland. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rodgers can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a Thomas Rogger.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Rodgers was particularly prevalent in the counties of Northumberland, Yorkshire, and Lancashire in northern England, as well as in the Scottish Lowlands. The name was often associated with rural areas and farming communities.
Notable individuals with the surname Rodgers throughout history include:
1. John Rodgers (c. 1500-1556), a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake during the reign of Queen Mary I of England.
2. Samuel Rodgers (1763-1835), an American naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War.
3. John Rodgers (1771-1838), an American naval officer and the first commodore in the United States Navy.
4. Richard Rodgers (1902-1979), an American composer best known for his work in musical theater, including collaborations with Oscar Hammerstein II.
5. Ginger Rodgers (1911-1995), an American actress, dancer, and singer who starred in numerous films and is renowned for her partnership with Fred Astaire.
The surname Rodgers has also been connected to various place names in England and Scotland, such as Rodgerfield in Northumberland and Rodgershill in Renfrewshire, Scotland. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname who settled in or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rodgers
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodgers, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rodgers 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 Rodgers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.0% · 49,379
- Black or African American23.6% · 17,379
- Two or more races4.4% · 3,228
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 2,757
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 509
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 394
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rodgers
Rodgers 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
#428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 76,095
+3,074 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 25.80
Rank movement Down 34 places
2020
#441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 73,646
-2,449 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 24.64
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #394 | 73,021 | 27.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #428 | 76,095 | 25.80 | +3,074 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 34 places |
| 2020 | #441 | 73,646 | 24.64 | -2,449 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 13 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 Rodgers 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 | #428 | #441 | -3.0% |
| Count | 76,095 | 73,646 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 25.80 | 24.64 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rodgers bearers went from 76,095 to 73,646 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #428 to #441.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rodgers
FAQ
Rodgers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rodgers?
Name Census estimates that about 84,452 living Americans carry the surname Rodgers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,059 residents.
How common is Rodgers?
Rodgers ranks #441 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 24.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 25 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 73,646 people with the surname Rodgers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (84,452), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 24.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 24.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 25 of them to have the surname Rodgers.
Has Rodgers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rodgers went from 76,095 recorded bearers to 73,646. That is a decrease of 2,449 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #428 to #441.
What does the Census say about the background of Rodgers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodgers, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Rodgers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.0% (49,379 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rodgers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.0%), Black (23.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Rodgers (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 Rodgers mean?
An English surname derived from the given name Roger, meaning "famous spear" or "renowned warrior." 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 Rodgers (24.64 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 Rodgers?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.