boy's name
Rhodes
ROHDZ (English)
- Origin Greek, English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 3,275
the United States
#575
2025 births
Rhodes is a boy's name from the Greek island, whose name is often linked to rhodon, "rose." It's also an English surname from medieval words for clearings, and it's closely associated with the Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford.
- Rhodes is a name of Greek, English origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 557 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 5,952 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1915.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Rhodes Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 23 |
| 1920s | 54 |
| 1930s | 35 |
| 1940s | 11 |
| 1950s | 6 |
| 1960s | 5 |
| 1970s | 7 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 27 |
| 2000s | 86 |
| 2010s | 594 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,112 |
What Rhodes Means
Rhodes means rose, in the usual Greek reading of the island's name. The English surname has a separate sense, a clearing, but the Greek island and the scholarship are what most parents have in mind.
Where Rhodes Comes From
Greek Rhodos is an island of the Dodecanese, and writers linked its name with rhodon, a rose, though the word may be older than Greek. Mythology, as Abarim Publications notes, makes Rhodos a nymph and bride of Helios, the sun god. The Colossus of Rhodes, a giant statue of Helios, made the island famous. English families took their surname from Old English rod, a clearing, or from places such as Rhodes in Lancashire. Cecil Rhodes, the colonial magnate, endowed the scholarship at Oxford. As a first name, it fits with Brooks, Hayes and other -s surnames.
Rhodes in Use
The scholarship gives the name an upper-crust feel. Dusty Rhodes, the wrestler, gave it a very different American association.
How Popular Is Rhodes?
In 2025, Rhodes was given to 557 babies in the United States, ranking #575 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Rhodes Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Rhodes
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Rhodes Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Rhodes over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Rhodes
- English ROHDZ
Sibling Names for Rhodes
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Rhodes — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Rhodes
What does the name Rhodes mean?
Rose, in the usual reading of the Greek island's name.
Is Rhodes a boy's or a girl's name?
It's used mainly for boys.
How do you pronounce Rhodes?
ROHDZ.
How popular is the name Rhodes?
In 2025, Rhodes was given to 557 babies in the United States, ranking #575 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
How many syllables are in Rhodes?
Rhodes has 1 syllable.
When was Rhodes most popular?
Rhodes peaked in 2025, when 557 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Rhodes a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Rhodes currently ranks #562 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.