Rodríguez is the most common surname in the Province of Ourense and ranks first across all of Galicia. A patronymic derived from "Rodrigo" — itself from the Visigothic Hrodric, meaning "fame-ruler" — it became one of the earliest hereditary surnames adopted in the medieval kingdoms of León and Galicia during the 12th and 13th centuries.

In the Ribeiro wine region, the Rodríguez surname appears at consistently high densities across all seven target municipalities. Ribadavia alone counts 962 bearers (8.72%), while Cartelle holds 594 (8.17%) and Castrelo de Miño 308 (7.53%). The surname also appears in 6.9% of Ribadavia Inquisition trial records, indicating a significant presence among converso families in the medieval Jewish quarter.

Within the Alvarez family tree, Rodríguez is the second most represented surname after Alvarez itself, with strong maternal and paternal lines traced through both Castrelo de Miño and Cartelle parishes.