Rodney

Meaning: Hroda's island
Origin: English surname

Nicknames: Rod

Boy's name · #1093 in the US (2025) · Retro

Popularity over time

Rodney's best rank, #33, came in 1965; it has stepped well back to #1093 today. Roughly 247,000 boys have been named Rodney since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Rodney is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 23 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Rodney ranks in other countries and regions.

#1,642 in Canada (2025) · #1,947 in Ecuador (2025) · #2,269 in England & Wales (2025) · #5,981 in France (2025) · #21,526 in Italy (2024) · #1,456 in Sweden (2023) · #3,309 in Austria (2017) · #523 in Puerto Rico (2008) · #272 in New Zealand (1998) · #301 in Ireland (1995) · #311 in Scotland (1985) · #87 in Australia (NSW) (1983) and 1 more.

Famous Rodneys

Rodney Robert Porter — English biochemist and Nobel laureate (1917–1985)
Rodney Dangerfield — American stand-up comedian (1921–2004)
Rodney King — Black American victim of police brutality (1965–2012)
Rodney Williams — Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda since 2014 (born 1947)
Rodney Mullen — American skateboarder (born 1966)

In stories & tradition

Rodney McKay — Stargate Atlantis (TV series)
Rodney Trotter — Fictional character from Only Fools and Horses
Rodney Blackstock — Fictional character from Emmerdale

What Rodneys become

Among 937 notable people named Rodney:

Sports figures appear 2.27× more often than among typical names — e.g. Rodney Strasser, Sierra Leonean footballer (born 1990).

Similar names: Jeffery · Roger · Tony · Brent · Ronnie · Randy

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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