Rodson
A combination meaning "horse guardian" or "famous advisor".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Rodson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rodson today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rodson births was 2009 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rodson. 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 Rodson. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2009
5 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2009 SSA rank
#14,071
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Rodson: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Rodson 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 Rodson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Rodson
The given name Rodson is a relatively modern invention, with its origins dating back to the late 19th or early 20th century. It appears to be a combination of the common English name Rod, a shortened form of Roderick, and the suffix "-son" which means "son of" in Old English. As such, Rodson can be interpreted as "son of Rod" or "son of Roderick."
While the name itself is of recent coinage, its component parts have a rich history. The name Roderick is derived from the Germanic elements "hrod" meaning "fame" and "ric" meaning "power" or "ruler." It was popular among the Visigoths and other Germanic tribes, and later spread throughout Europe, particularly in England and Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Rodson was Rodson Rawlings, a British actor and film director who lived from 1895 to 1972. He appeared in several films in the 1930s and 1940s, including the 1936 movie "The Ghost Goes West."
Another notable figure was Rodson Bugingo, a Ugandan pastor and televangelist who founded the House of Prayer Ministries in Kampala. He was born in 1968 and gained prominence in the late 20th century for his charismatic preaching style and large following.
In the world of sports, Rodson Renato da Silva was a Brazilian football player who played as a midfielder for several clubs in Brazil and Portugal in the 1990s and early 2000s. He was born in 1974 and enjoyed a successful career in professional soccer.
Rodson Kayawe was a Tanzanian politician and member of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party. He served as a member of parliament for the Kasulu Constituency from 2005 to 2010, representing the Kigoma region in the National Assembly of Tanzania.
Finally, Rodson Simataa was a Namibian politician and member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO). He played an active role in the struggle for Namibia's independence from South Africa and served as a member of the National Assembly after independence in 1990 until his death in 2004.
While the name Rodson is not among the most common given names globally, it has been used by individuals from various backgrounds and professions throughout the 20th century and into the present day.
People
Rodson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rodson 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
Rodson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rodson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rodson 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 Rodson a common name?
We classify Rodson 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, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rodson most popular?
The single biggest year for Rodson was 2009, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rodson is about 17 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 Rodson in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rodson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rodson 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 Rodson still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rodson 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 Rodson 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 are called Rodson?
You can see how many Americans are named Rodson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.