Rood
A Dutch name derived from the word for the color red.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Rood. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rood today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rood births was 2023 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rood. 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 Rood. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2023
5 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,766
Tracked since 2023
Popularity
Rood: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Rood 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 Rood during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Rood
The given name Rood is a Germanic name derived from the Old English word "rod" meaning "pole" or "cross". It originated in England and the surrounding regions during the Anglo-Saxon period, approximately between the 5th and 11th centuries AD.
The name Rood is closely associated with the Christian symbol of the cross, particularly the crucifix or rood screen found in many medieval churches. It was a popular name among early Christians in England and other parts of Northern Europe, as it symbolized the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rood can be found in the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions a landowner named Rood in the county of Suffolk.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Rood. One of the most famous was Rood van Culemborg (c. 1430–1504), a Dutch nobleman and military leader who served as the Governor of Guelders during the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule.
Another prominent figure was Rood van Overvest (c. 1460–1522), a Dutch Renaissance humanist and scholar who served as the rector of the University of Leuven. He was known for his expertise in classical literature and his contributions to the study of ancient texts.
In the 17th century, Rood van Someren (1604–1683) was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life paintings and genre scenes depicting everyday life in the Netherlands.
During the 19th century, Rood van Staden (1803–1872) was a Dutch politician and lawyer who served as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1858 to 1860.
In more recent times, Rood van der Goot (1921–2007) was a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II and a recipient of the prestigious Resistance Memorial Cross for his courageous actions against the German occupation.
People
Rood + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rood 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
Rood: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rood?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rood 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 Rood a common name?
We classify Rood 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 Rood most popular?
The single biggest year for Rood was 2023, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rood is about 3 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 Rood in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rood a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rood 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 Rood still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rood 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 Rood 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 share the name Rood?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.