Roddney
An English given name derived from the Old Norse name Hrōðr, meaning "renown" or "glory".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Roddney. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Roddney today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roddney births was 1965 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roddney. 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 Roddney. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1965
6 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
1965 SSA rank
#3,849
Tracked since 1965
Popularity
Roddney: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Roddney 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 Roddney 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 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Roddney
The name Roddney is an English variant of the Germanic name Rodney, which is derived from the Old English words "rod" meaning "fame" and "ney" meaning "island." The name likely originated in the early medieval period, around the 5th or 6th century AD, when Anglo-Saxon settlers arrived in Britain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rodney can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Rodneius," referring to a landowner in Wiltshire, England.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the name Roddney or its variants. One of the most famous was Sir George Brydges Rodney (1718-1792), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. His victory over the French at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782 was a turning point in the conflict.
Another prominent figure was Rodney Marsh (1944-), an English footballer who played for various clubs in the 1960s and 1970s, including Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers. He was known for his skillful play and flamboyant personality.
In the realm of literature, Rodney Hall (1935-) is an Australian author and poet who has won several prestigious awards, including the Miles Franklin Award in 1982 for his novel "Just Relations."
Roddney Anoa'i (1983-), better known by his ring name Rodney, is a former professional wrestler who competed in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Lastly, Rodney Bewes (1937-2017) was a British actor best known for his role as Bob Ferris in the popular sitcom "The Likely Lads" and its sequel series.
While the name Roddney has roots in Old English and has been present throughout various periods of history, it has never been among the most popular given names in English-speaking countries. Nevertheless, it has maintained a consistent presence, with several notable individuals bearing this name and contributing to various fields.
People
Roddney + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roddney 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
Roddney: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roddney?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roddney 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Roddney a common name?
We classify Roddney as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% 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 Roddney most popular?
The single biggest year for Roddney was 1965, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roddney is about 64 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 Roddney in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Roddney a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Roddney 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 Roddney still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Roddney 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 Roddney 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 Roddney?
See how many people have the name Roddney on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.