Roderick
Roderick was the 1752nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 93 babies. Its best year was 1967, when it ranked 221st; the most babies were born in 1971 (1,057). Over the last ten years it has moved down 680 places. More babies were named Roderick in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning "famous ruler" · Germanic, English
Say it RAH-dur-ik /ˈrɑdərɪk/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,752 boys, down 132 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 93boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19711,057 babies
- Total since 1880
- 47,446babies recorded
What does the name Roderick mean?
Roderick is a Germanic name made of hrōþ, "fame", and rīk, "ruler, king", so "famous ruler". DMNES lists the 8th-century Visigothic king Roderic of Spain, and the name lives on in Spanish and Portuguese as Rodrigo. Wiktionary notes that the English form was revived after Walter Scott used it in an 1811 poem, and that it has also served as an English version of the Scottish Gaelic Ruairidh and the Welsh Rhydderch.
hruod (Old High German, “fame”)rīh (Old High German, “ruler”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Rodrigo, Rod, Roddy, Rory, Rurik.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean king or queen, names that mean fame.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Roderick', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Roderick', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Roderick', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Roderick
The usual nicknames for Roderick are Rod, Roddy and Rick. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Roderick in the last five years, 47 were named Rick, against 52 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rod · also for Rodrigo, Rodney | Traditional | — | 14 |
| Roddy | Traditional | #8,115 | 24 |
| Rick · also for Richard, Eric, Derek | Traditional | #3,077 | 216 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Rodericks go by each one.
Roderick popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 263 since 1956.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,752 | 93 |
| 2020 | #1,620 | 100 |
| 2010 | #964 | 206 |
| 2000 | #615 | 310 |
| 1990 | #387 | 599 |
| 1980 | #278 | 758 |
| 1970 | #228 | 1,037 |
| 1960 | #276 | 846 |
| 1950 | #314 | 475 |
| 1940 | #457 | 162 |
| 1930 | #482 | 153 |
| 1920 | #617 | 105 |
| 1910 | #854 | 14 |
| 1900 | #724 | 13 |
| 1890 | #800 | 8 |
| 1880 | #795 | 7 |
How popular is Roderick, counting every spelling?
Roderick is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,377 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,752 for Roderick on its own. Together these spellings went to 123 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roderick | 93 | #1,752 | 457 |
| Rodrick | 24 | #4,359 | 157 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Roderick?
93 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Roderick (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Roderick born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 90 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Roderick.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Roderick?
About 36,500 people born in the US named Roderick are alive today, with a median age of 51; half are between 37 and 62. That makes Roderick mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Roderick by state
How common Roderick was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alabama (3.6×), Georgia (2.8×). In 41 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Roderick: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Roderick, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Roderick · Sibling names for Roderick
Questions about the name Roderick
What does Roderick mean?
Roderick means “"famous ruler"” (Germanic, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Roderick?
Roderick was the 1752nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 93 babies. Its best year was 1967, when it ranked 221st; the most babies were born in 1971 (1,057). Over the last ten years it has moved down 680 places. More babies were named Roderick in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Roderick a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Roderick in the US.
Where is Roderick most popular?
In 2021–2025, Roderick was most common in Alabama (0.19 per 1,000 boys), followed by Louisiana and Georgia.