Rodman
A masculine name of Old English origin meaning either "famous hart" or "famous clearing".
Name Census estimates that about 657 living Americans carry the first name Rodman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rodman today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rodman births was 1928 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rodman. 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
657
~ 1 in 521,696 Americans
Peak year
1928
34 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,787
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Rodman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rodman from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 273 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rodman 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 Rodman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rodmans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Rodman, while Texas, California, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 35 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rodman
The given name Rodman is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "rod" and "mann," meaning "a man who clears land." It first emerged in the 11th century during the Norman conquest of England, when many new surnames were introduced.
Historically, the name Rodman was associated with individuals who worked as land-clearers or foresters, responsible for clearing and maintaining woodland areas. It was initially used as an occupational surname before transitioning into a given name over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rodman can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landholders in England after the Norman conquest. The name appears as "Rodmann" in several entries, indicating its use at that time.
In the 13th century, the name Rodman appeared in various historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire, which listed individuals with the surname Rodman living in the region.
Notable individuals named Rodman throughout history include:
1. Rodman Philbrick (born 1951), an American author known for his novels for young adults, including "Freak the Mighty" and "The Fire Pony."
2. Rodman Edward Griscom (1833-1893), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 25th Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania from 1889 to 1893.
3. Rodman Wanamaker (1838-1922), an American entrepreneur and founder of the department store chain Wanamaker's, which later became part of Macy's.
4. Rodman Drake (1816-1880), an American poet and writer best known for his poem "The Culprit Fay."
5. Rodman Townsend (1753-1838), an American Revolutionary War soldier and politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly.
While the name Rodman has its roots in Old English, it has maintained a presence across various periods and cultures, with notable individuals bearing this name throughout history, reflecting its enduring legacy as a given name.
People
Rodman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rodman 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
Rodman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rodman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 657 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rodman 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 521,696 US residents.
Is Rodman a common name?
We classify Rodman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,331 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rodman most popular?
The single biggest year for Rodman was 1928, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rodman is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rodman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rodman 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.