Rhonda
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a French dialect.
Name Census estimates that about 167,336 living Americans carry the first name Rhonda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rhonda today is around 61 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rhonda births was 1965 (10,979 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rhonda. 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
- • Although Rhonda is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 589 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Compared to the 1960s, recent registration numbers for Rhonda have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
167K
~ 1 in 2,048 Americans
Peak year
1965
10,979 babies that year
Average age
61
years old
1989 SSA rank
#8,956
Tracked since 1910
Gender
Gender distribution for Rhonda
Out of the 208,639 babies given the name Rhonda since 1880, 99.7% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Rhonda as a male name
- Ranked #8,956 in 1989
- 5 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1967 (41 births)
Rhonda as a female name
- Ranked #11,903 in 2024
- 8 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1965 (10,947 births)
Popularity
Rhonda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rhonda from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 93,860 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rhonda 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 Rhonda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rhondas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. Texas, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Rhonda, while Vermont, Delaware, Nevada recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 4,033 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rhonda
The name Rhonda is believed to have originated from the Greek name Rhondia, which is derived from the Greek word "rhodon," meaning "rose." This suggests that the name has its roots in ancient Greek culture, dating back to around the 5th century BC.
The earliest known recorded use of the name Rhonda can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when it was used as a feminine form of the name Rhon or Rhone, which referred to the Rhone River in France. It is possible that the name spread from the region around the Rhone River to other parts of Europe during this time.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the name Rhonda was Rhonda of Burgundy, a French noblewoman who lived in the 12th century. She was known for her involvement in the courtly love tradition and was celebrated in the poetry of the troubadours.
In the 16th century, there was a notable Italian painter named Rhonda Siena, who was renowned for her religious works and frescoes adorning churches in Florence and Rome. She was born in 1510 and died in 1586.
Another notable figure with the name Rhonda was Rhonda de Montfort, a French writer and philosopher who lived in the 17th century. Born in 1622, she was a prominent thinker during the Enlightenment period and wrote extensively on topics such as reason, science, and the nature of knowledge.
In the 19th century, there was a British explorer and naturalist named Rhonda Livingstone, who was born in 1813 and died in 1873. She is best known for her expeditions to central Africa and her contributions to the study of African flora and fauna.
During the early 20th century, there was a famous American actress named Rhonda Crawford, who was born in 1901 and died in 1976. She appeared in numerous films during the Golden Age of Hollywood and was known for her versatility in both dramatic and comedic roles.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Rhonda
People
Rhonda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rhonda 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
Rhonda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rhonda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 167,336 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rhonda 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 2,048 US residents.
Is Rhonda a common name?
We classify Rhonda as "Common". It ranks above 99.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 208,639 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rhonda most popular?
The single biggest year for Rhonda was 1965, when 10,979 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rhonda is about 61 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rhonda a female name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Rhonda in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.