Rydon
A masculine name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Rydon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rydon today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rydon births was 2007 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rydon. 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 Rydon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2007
6 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2007 SSA rank
#12,078
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Rydon: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Rydon 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 Rydon 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 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Rydon
The name Rydon is believed to have originated from the Old English language, derived from the combination of the words "ryd" meaning "clearing" and "dun" meaning "hill" or "down." This suggests that the name may have its roots in the early Anglo-Saxon settlements of England, potentially referring to a person who lived near a clearing on a hill or downland area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rydon can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Rydon in the county of Somerset, indicating the name's presence in medieval England.
Historically, the name Rydon appears to have been more prominent in the southwestern regions of England, particularly in Somerset, Dorset, and Devon. This geographic concentration may be attributed to the name's origins and the linguistic influences of the region.
Among notable individuals who bore the name Rydon throughout history, one can mention:
1. Sir John Rydon (c. 1450-1518), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Somerset during the Tudor period.
2. Thomas Rydon (1596-1670), an English clergyman and author known for his work "A Brief Memoire of the Life and Writings of Thomas Rydon."
3. Edward Rydon (1673-1736), a prominent architect and surveyor who designed several churches and buildings in Somerset during the 18th century.
4. William Rydon (1755-1832), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a Member of Parliament.
5. Henry Rydon (1829-1898), a renowned English painter and watercolorist known for his landscapes and rural scenes depicting the countryside of Somerset and Dorset.
While the name Rydon may have lost some of its popularity in more recent times, its historical roots and connections to the southwestern regions of England provide a glimpse into the rich tapestry of English names and their cultural significance.
People
Rydon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rydon 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
Rydon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rydon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rydon 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Rydon a common name?
We classify Rydon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rydon most popular?
The single biggest year for Rydon was 2007, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rydon is about 19 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 Rydon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rydon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rydon 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 Rydon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rydon 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 Rydon 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 Rydon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.