Rodney
Rodney was the 1093rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 197 babies. Its best year was 1965, when it ranked 33rd with 11,086 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 377 places. More babies were named Rodney in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning Hroda's island · English, Old English
Say it RAHD-nee /ˈɹɑdni/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,093 boys, down 229 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 197boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 196511,086 babies
- Total since 1880
- 248,325babies recorded
What does the name Rodney mean?
Rodney is an English place name and surname, from Old English Hrōdanīeg 'island of Hroda', a personal name from hrōd 'fame', plus īeg 'island', as Wiktionary notes; the place is Rodney Stoke in Somerset. It became a given name in honor of Admiral George Rodney, the 18th-century naval commander, and was popular in the US in the 1960s.
Hrōda (Old English, “personal name (from hrōd 'fame')”)īeg (Old English, “island”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Rodney', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Nicknames for Rodney
The usual nicknames for Rodney are Rod.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rod · also for Rodrigo, Roderick | Traditional | — | 14 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Rodneys go by each one.
Rodney popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,175 since 1918.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,093 | 197 |
| 2020 | #864 | 262 |
| 2010 | #549 | 460 |
| 2000 | #342 | 799 |
| 1990 | #181 | 1,710 |
| 1980 | #121 | 2,266 |
| 1970 | #55 | 5,856 |
| 1960 | #68 | 5,865 |
| 1950 | #88 | 3,856 |
| 1940 | #133 | 1,397 |
| 1930 | #208 | 639 |
| 1920 | #304 | 353 |
| 1910 | #477 | 34 |
| 1900 | #530 | 21 |
| 1890 | #422 | 19 |
| 1880 | #520 | 13 |
How popular is Rodney, counting every spelling?
Rodney has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,039 for boys in 2025, against #1,093 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Rodney?
197 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Rodney (0.05 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Rodney 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 43 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Rodney.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Rodney?
About 181,100 people born in the US named Rodney are alive today, with a median age of 59; half are between 49 and 67. That makes Rodney a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Rodney by state
How common Rodney was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alabama (3.0×), Georgia (1.9×), North Carolina (1.7×), Michigan (1.7×), Louisiana (1.6×). In 22 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 Rodney: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Rodney, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Rodney · Sibling names for Rodney
Questions about the name Rodney
What does Rodney mean?
Rodney means “Hroda's island” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Rodney?
Rodney was the 1093rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 197 babies. Its best year was 1965, when it ranked 33rd with 11,086 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 377 places. More babies were named Rodney in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Rodney a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Rodney in the US.
Where is Rodney most popular?
In 2021–2025, Rodney was most common in Alabama (0.37 per 1,000 boys), followed by Mississippi and Georgia.