Rodriguez
A Spanish patronymic surname meaning “son of Rodrigo,” the given name behind the famous medieval-style family name.
The #9 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 282 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Rodriguez is the Spanish patronymic form of Rodrigo, meaning “descendant of Rodrigo” or more simply “son of Rodrigo.” Rodrigo is the Spanish form of the old Germanic name Roderick, built from elements meaning “fame” and “power” or “rule.” In historical naming practice, the -ez ending marked lineage, just as -son does in English.
History
The surname is one of the most common in the Spanish-speaking world and spread widely through Spain’s historical expansion into the Americas. It is especially prominent in Latin America and among Spanish-speaking communities in the United States. Older surname works routinely treat it as the standard patronymic of Rodrigo, and the spelling Rodriguez is now common internationally, alongside the Iberian Portuguese Rodrigues.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Spanish orthography, the original form is Rodríguez with an accent mark, though the accent is often dropped in English-language records.
From the historical record
“Diet.] RODRIGUEZ. (Span.) genit. oi Rodrigo, i.e. Roderick, q.v. in Diet. ROSENBAUM (Ger.) Rose-Tree ; Rhodo- dendron [Ger. rose, pi. and adj. form rosen, ■ i. Lat. rosa, rose -j- Ger.- baum, O.H.Ger. 6fl«»», tree] ROSENBERG (Ger.) Rose-Hill [see under Rosenbaum, and + Ger. berg, O.H.Ger.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Rodriguez
- Ricardo Rodriguez (b. 1992)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.