Cherod
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "powerful" or "valiant".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Cherod. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cherod today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cherod births was 1991 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cherod. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cherod. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1991
6 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
1991 SSA rank
#7,417
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Cherod: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Cherod by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cherod during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Cherod
The given name Cherod is believed to have originated from the ancient Celtic language of the British Isles. It is thought to be derived from the Proto-Celtic words "ker" meaning "heat" or "ardor" and "rod" meaning "wanderer" or "traveler". Together, these root words suggest a meaning along the lines of "passionate wanderer" or "ardent traveler".
In its earliest recorded forms, the name was spelled as "Cerrod" or "Kerrod" in various ancient Celtic inscriptions and texts from around the 5th to 7th centuries AD. These early appearances of the name were found primarily in regions that are now parts of modern-day Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany in northwestern France.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear this name was Cerrod ap Gwyn, a Welsh chieftain and warrior who lived in the late 6th century. He is mentioned in several medieval Welsh genealogies and is said to have fought against Saxon invaders during the period of the Anglo-Saxon conquest of Britain.
Another notable historical figure with this name was Cherod the Wanderer, a Breton bard and minstrel who lived in the 10th century. According to legend, Cherod traveled extensively throughout Britain, Ireland, and parts of continental Europe, earning a reputation for his poetic songs and tales of adventure.
In the 12th century, there was a Cherod of Shrewsbury, an English monk and scribe who is credited with transcribing several important religious texts and chronicles during his time at the Shrewsbury Abbey in Shropshire, England.
During the Renaissance period, a Italian painter named Cherod Ricci (1528-1605) gained some fame for his religious artwork and frescoes, particularly those found in churches throughout Rome and the surrounding regions of Italy.
More recently, Cherod E. Wilmore (1888-1971) was an American educator and civil rights activist who worked to promote equal educational opportunities for African American students in the early 20th century. He served as the president of several historically Black colleges and universities in the United States.
While the name Cherod has maintained a presence throughout history, it has remained relatively uncommon compared to many other given names. Its unique Celtic origins and meanings related to passion, wanderlust, and adventure have likely contributed to its enduring, if infrequent, use over the centuries.
People
Cherod + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cherod as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cherod: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cherod?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cherod going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Cherod a common name?
We classify Cherod as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cherod most popular?
The single biggest year for Cherod was 1991, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cherod is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cherod in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cherod a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cherod in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cherod still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cherod in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cherod can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Cherod?
See how many people have the name Cherod on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.