Rothwell
A masculine name derived from a place in England, meaning "pleasant red grove".
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Rothwell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rothwell today is around 101 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rothwell births was 1943 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rothwell. 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
- • The typical person named Rothwell is about 101 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Rothwells were born before 1935.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rothwell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1943
5 babies that year
Average age
101
years old
1943 SSA rank
#3,960
Tracked since 1943
Popularity
Rothwell: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Rothwell 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 Rothwell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Rothwell
The name Rothwell is an English place name derived from the Old English words "rod" meaning a clearing in a wood, and "well" meaning a spring or stream. It refers to a settlement that was established near a spring or stream in a clearing within a forested area. This name originated in the medieval period, likely around the 11th or 12th century, when many English place names were formed from descriptive elements.
The earliest recorded use of the name Rothwell can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Rodewelle" and "Rodewelle". This was a survey of land and resources in England commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest. The name Rothwell is mentioned in reference to various settlements and manors across different counties, including Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, and Lincolnshire.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Rothwell was Robert de Rothwell, a 13th-century English nobleman and landowner. He was recorded as holding lands in Rothwell, Northamptonshire, in the 13th century. Another early bearer of the name was John de Rothwell, a 14th-century English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Carlisle from 1325 to 1361.
In the 15th century, Thomas Rothwell was an English composer and organist who served at the Chapel Royal during the reigns of Edward IV and Henry VII. He is known for composing several masses and motets that were popular during his time.
During the 16th century, Richard Rothwell was a renowned English cartographer and surveyor. He was responsible for creating several detailed maps of England and Wales, which were widely used for navigation and exploration purposes.
In the 17th century, John Rothwell was a prominent English Puritan minister and author. He wrote several influential religious works, including "A Treatise on the Covenants" and "The Practice of the New Covenant", which were widely read and discussed during the Puritan era.
These examples illustrate the historical usage of the name Rothwell, which was derived from an English place name and has been borne by notable individuals across various fields and time periods.
People
Rothwell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rothwell 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
Rothwell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rothwell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rothwell 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Rothwell a common name?
We classify Rothwell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% 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 Rothwell most popular?
The single biggest year for Rothwell was 1943, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rothwell is about 101 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 Rothwell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rothwell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rothwell 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 Rothwell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rothwell 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 Rothwell 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 Rothwell as a first name?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Rothwell at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.