Radnor
From an English surname referring to a river's red bank.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Radnor. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Radnor today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Radnor births was 2024 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Radnor. 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 Radnor. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2024
6 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,959
Tracked since 2021
Popularity
Radnor: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Radnor 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 Radnor during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Radnor
The name Radnor has its origins in the Welsh language, and it is believed to have emerged during the medieval period in the region of Wales. The name is derived from the Welsh words "rhadn," meaning "grace" or "favor," and "or," meaning "edge" or "boundary." Together, these elements suggest a meaning of "gracious boundary" or "favored boundary."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Radnor can be found in reference to the historic county of Radnorshire, located in mid-Wales. This county was formed in the 13th century, and its name is thought to have influenced the subsequent use of Radnor as a given name.
In terms of historical references, the name Radnor does not appear to have been widely documented in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, some records suggest that it may have been used as a personal name in Wales and the surrounding regions during the Middle Ages.
The earliest known individual with the name Radnor is Sir Radnor ap Llewelyn, a Welsh landowner and military commander who lived in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Radnor Lewis, a Welsh politician and Member of Parliament who was born in 1714 and died in 1765.
Throughout history, several other individuals have borne the name Radnor, including:
1. Radnor Bethell (1862-1947), a British politician and member of the House of Lords.
2. Radnor Myles (1898-1983), an English actor and film director.
3. Radnor Hoops (1911-1986), an American basketball player and coach.
4. Radnor Salters (1932-2018), a British artist and sculptor.
5. Radnor Keane (born 1971), an Irish actor and director.
While the name Radnor has Welsh origins and has been used throughout various periods in history, it is important to note that its popularity and usage have varied across different regions and cultures over time.
People
Radnor + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Radnor as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Radnor: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Radnor?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Radnor 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Radnor a common name?
We classify Radnor as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Radnor most popular?
The single biggest year for Radnor was 2024, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Radnor is about 3 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 Radnor in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Radnor a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Radnor 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 Radnor still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Radnor 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 Radnor 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 many people share the name Radnor?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.