Rederick
A masculine name derived from the Germanic elements "red" and "ric" (power, rule).
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Rederick. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rederick today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rederick births was 1967 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rederick. 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
- • The typical person named Rederick is about 65 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Redericks were born before 1971.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rederick. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1967
5 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
1967 SSA rank
#4,424
Tracked since 1967
Popularity
Rederick: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Rederick 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 Rederick during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Rederick
The given name Rederick is a variant spelling of the Germanic name Roderick, which has its origins in the 5th century. It is derived from the Proto-Germanic elements "hrod" meaning "fame" and "ric" meaning "ruler" or "power". The name can be translated to mean "famous ruler" or "powerful leader".
Rederick is believed to have originated in the region that is now modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. In the early Middle Ages, the name was popularized among the Franks and other Germanic tribes that occupied this area. Similar spellings include Rodric, Rodrich, and Rodrich.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Rederick can be found in the Nibelungenlied, a renowned German epic poem from around 1200 AD. In this work, Rederick is mentioned as a minor character. The name also appears in various medieval chronicles and records from the region.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Rederick. One of the earliest was Rederick I (ca. 850-918), a Frankish nobleman and Count of Neustria. Another was Rederick II (ca. 972-1026), a Duke of Normandy and the father of William the Conqueror.
In the 12th century, Rederick Barbarossa (ca. 1122-1190) was a famous Holy Roman Emperor who led several crusades to the Holy Land. He is remembered as one of the most powerful and influential rulers of the Middle Ages.
During the Renaissance, Rederick the Wise (1463-1525) was an Elector of Saxony who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He protected Martin Luther and supported the translation of the Bible into German.
In more recent times, one of the most notable bearers of the name was Rederick Douglass (ca. 1818-1895), a renowned American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, and statesman. He was a prominent figure in the anti-slavery movement and worked tirelessly for the rights of African Americans.
People
Rederick + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rederick 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
Rederick: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rederick?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rederick 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Rederick a common name?
We classify Rederick as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rederick most popular?
The single biggest year for Rederick was 1967, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rederick is about 65 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 Rederick in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rederick a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rederick 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 Rederick still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rederick 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 Rederick 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 have the name Rederick?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Rederick at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.