Rodas
A surname with multiple possible roots, most often linked to place names in the Spanish- and Greek-speaking worlds.
The #3,193 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,257 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Rodas is usually treated as a locational surname, meaning it likely began as a name for someone from a place called Rodas or a similar place-name form. In Spanish usage, it may point to an origin in or association with a locality bearing that name. In some cases it can also reflect adaptation of a Greek place name, especially through the historical prestige of Rhodes/Rhodos in Mediterranean naming traditions.
History
The surname appears in Spanish-speaking communities and in diaspora populations, especially in the Americas. Because the spelling is short and geographically flexible, it may have arisen independently in more than one region and later been preserved by migration. The form can also reflect spelling variation or Hispanic adaptation of a surname originally connected to a place name outside the Iberian Peninsula.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because it is short and place-based, Rodas is one of those surnames that can have several local origins without sharing a single family line.