boy's name
Roderick
ROD-uh-rik
- Origin German
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 8
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 49,044
Ireland
#356
1990 births
Roderick means famous ruler, and its most consequential bearer lost a country — Roderic was the last Visigothic king of Spain, defeated in 711 by the Arab and Berber force that then held most of the peninsula for centuries.
- Roderick is a name of German origin.
- Peaked in 1971, when 1,067 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 35,649 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Roderick over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 60 |
| 1890s | 82 |
| 1900s | 102 |
| 1910s | 644 |
| 1920s | 1,478 |
| 1930s | 1,684 |
| 1940s | 2,663 |
| 1950s | 6,302 |
| 1960s | 9,705 |
| 1970s | 8,699 |
| 1980s | 6,709 |
| 1990s | 4,315 |
| 2000s | 2,650 |
| 2010s | 1,796 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 557 |
What Roderick means
Roderick means famous ruler, or renowned in power. The Germanic joins a word for fame to one meaning rule, so both halves concern standing rather than character.
Where Roderick comes from
Roderick is the Germanic Hrodric — hrod, fame or glory, joined to ric, power or rule. The hrod is the same element in Rudolph, Orlando and Robert; the ric sits in Frederick, Eric and Henry. Roderic, the last Visigothic king, was defeated at the Guadalete in 711, and Spanish tradition made him the subject of ballads for a thousand years afterward. In Scotland the name was used to anglicize the unrelated Gaelic Ruaidhrí.
Roderick in use
Roderick peaked in the United States in 1971, when 1,067 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 809th in Scotland on 3 births, 1745th in the United States on 93 and 3999th in England and Wales on 5, across 49,044 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. Scotland ran its own peak of 59 births in 1976 and Ireland 19 in 1975.
How popular is Roderick?
In 2025, Roderick was given to 93 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Roderick 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 Roderick
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Roderick also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Roderick over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Roderick
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Roderick in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Roderick
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Roderick — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Roderick
What does the name Roderick mean?
Famous ruler — the Germanic hrod, fame, joined to ric, power.
Who was King Roderic?
The last Visigothic king of Spain, defeated at the Guadalete in 711.
Is Rory related?
In Scotland, Roderick was used to anglicize the unrelated Gaelic Ruaidhrí, which gives Rory.
How popular is Roderick?
1745th in the United States, down from a 1971 peak of 1,067 births.
Is Roderick a girl's or a boy's name?
Roderick is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Roderick?
Roderick has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Roderick?
Roderick is usually shortened to Rod, Rory and Roddy.
Is Roderick a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Roderick currently ranks #809 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.