Rodel
A Filipino masculine name derived from Rodolfo, meaning "famous wolf".
Name Census estimates that about 103 living Americans carry the first name Rodel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rodel today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rodel births was 1982 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rodel. 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.
People living today
103
~ 1 in 3,327,712 Americans
Peak year
1982
10 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,954
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Rodel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rodel from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 34 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rodel 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 Rodel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rodels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Rodel
The name Rodel is believed to have originated from the Germanic languages, likely from a combination of the words "rod" meaning "famous" and "ell" meaning "noble." It first emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 6th to 8th centuries AD, in regions where Germanic tribes had settled, such as parts of modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rodel can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Saxony, dated around the 9th century AD. The name appears in reference to a nobleman named Rodel von Meissen, who held lands in the region of Meissen, located in present-day eastern Germany.
In the 11th century, a monk named Rodel von Reichenau was noted for his scholarly work at the Reichenau Abbey, an important center of learning and manuscript production during the medieval period. His contributions included illuminated manuscripts and theological writings, which have been preserved in various libraries and archives.
During the 12th century, a knight named Rodel von Staufen gained recognition for his service in the Imperial armies of the Holy Roman Empire. He participated in several campaigns and battles during the reign of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, and his name is recorded in contemporary chronicles and military records from that era.
In the 15th century, a renowned artist and woodcarver from Nuremberg, Germany, named Rodel Krafft, gained widespread acclaim for his intricate and detailed works. His most famous creation is the Krafft Altar, a magnificent carved altarpiece that adorns the Church of St. Lawrence in Nuremberg, completed around 1467.
Another notable figure bearing the name Rodel was Rodel von Biberach, a German architect and master builder who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He played a significant role in the construction of several important Gothic churches and buildings in southern Germany, including the Ulm Minster, which has the tallest church spire in the world.
People
Rodel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rodel 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
Rodel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rodel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 103 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rodel 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 3,327,712 US residents.
Is Rodel a common name?
We classify Rodel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 108 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rodel most popular?
The single biggest year for Rodel was 1982, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rodel is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rodel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rodel 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.
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.