Roderick

Roderick - A very unique male name

Roderick appeared on the charts for the first time in 1912 on position #878. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Roderick and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Roderick? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Roderick. The baby boy name Roderick was given to 51 baby boys in 2025, ranking #1699 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 28,751 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Roderick peaked in popularity 59 years ago in 1967 on position 223.

Famous with this name

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Roderick is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Roderick is currently topping the baby name charts in Mississippi at position #600 - and is the least popular in California at position #2,733.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Roderick is where you live.

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Roderick origin and meaning

Germanic, via Spanish and Welsh

From Germanic Hrodric: hrod, 'fame,' and ric, 'ruler' — 'famous ruler'; the form was shaped by Spanish Rodrigo and Welsh tradition

Roderick's root is the same as Rodrigo, the last Visigothic king's name; the Roderick spelling was popularised by Sir Walter Scott's poetry. In the US it peaked in 1971 and has eased down since. It keeps a literary, slightly swashbuckling air uncommon among Germanic names.

Attested etymology

Roderick is a 8 letter name with 3 syllables.

To see famous people named Roderick, pop culture references for the name Roderick and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Roderick

We've found the following names that sound similar to Roderick, sorted by popularity.

Rodrigo / Rodrick / Rodriquez / Roderic / Rodriguez / Rodricus / Roddrick / Rodriques / Rodric / Rodregus /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Roderick

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Roderick a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Roderick?

3 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

ROD-er-ik · /ˈrɒdərɪk/

Around the world

• Rodrigo (Spanish) — The Spanish form of the same root name.
• Roderich (German) — The German form.

Spellings and nicknames

• Rodrick — Streamlined spelling.
• Roderic — Single-k variant.

Nicknames: RodRick

Famous bearers

• Roderick MacKinnon — American biophysicist and Nobel laureate in Chemistry (b. 1956) Contemporary

Style

ClassicLiterary

Why parents choose it

Parents choose Roderick for a distinguished, literary classic that shortens to Rod or Rick.

Worth knowing

• It can read as formal or dated to some ears.