Rodney
Boy name · Anglo Saxon · English · German
- US rank
- #1,091
- Syllables
- 2
- Peak
- #33 in 1965
197 babies were named Rodney in the US in 2025. It has dropped 228 places in five years.
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million boys, 1880–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Rodney you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Rodney
Rodney Robert Porter
English biochemist and Nobel laureate (1917–1985)
Choose Rodney and your child shares a first name with Rodney Robert Porter, an English biochemist and Nobel laureate. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Rodney, like who?” Rodney Robert Porter's Wikipedia article is available in 52 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Rodney Robert Porter on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: MRC National Institute for Medical Research, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 8,673 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Rodney, 197 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Rodney would very likely be the only one.
- HistoryRodney has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Rodneys, and counting.
- Best yearIt was far more popular in 1965, when it ranked #33. Today it's #1,091, so it could be due a comeback.
- Then vs nowRodney was 3.5× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 2,458 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 8,673.
- TrendRodney has slipped 228 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,091. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
- Where it's lovedRodney is most popular in Mississippi, where it ranks #471, followed by Virginia (#670) and Georgia (#710). It's in the top 1,000 in 11 states.
- OriginRodney is the #7 most popular Anglo Saxon boy name in the US. That's out of 290 Anglo Saxon boy and unisex names in our list.
About the name Rodney
Rodney is a boy name of Anglo Saxon, English and German origin. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with R and ending in “-ney”. US birth records list Rodney for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1965, when it ranked #33 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,091, with 197 babies.
Origin:Anglo Saxon namesEnglish namesGerman names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 102 | 9,823 boys |
| 1890s | 142 | 7,042 boys |
| 1900s | 141 | 7,087 boys |
| 1910s | 255 | 3,918 boys |
| 1920s | 410 | 2,440 boys |
| 1930s | 914 | 1,094 boys |
| 1940s | 1,620 | 617 boys |
| 1950s | 2,700 | 370 boys |
| 1960s | 3,825 | 261 boys |
| 1970s | 2,256 | 443 boys |
| 1980s | 971 | 1,030 boys |
| 1990s | 619 | 1,615 boys |
| 2000s | 325 | 3,081 boys |
| 2010s | 192 | 5,203 boys |
| 2020s | 126 | 7,940 boys |
More Anglo Saxon boy names
- Unisex name: Tate · cheerful
- Boy name: Lewis · famous warrior
- Boy name: Finan · fair
- Boy name: Chapman · merchant
- Boy name: Eddison · son of Edward
- Unisex name: Silver · silver
- Boy name: Shephard · sheep herder
- Boy name: Boniface · good fate
Questions about the name Rodney
What is the origin of the name Rodney?
Rodney has Anglo Saxon, English, German roots in our records. Other Anglo Saxon names include Tate, Lewis, Finan.
Is Rodney a boy or girl name?
Rodney is a boy name.
How popular is the name Rodney?
Rodney ranked #1,091 for US boys in 2025, given to 197 babies. Its best year was 1965 (#33).