Given name & surname
Herod
“freeman”·“wanderer”·“fugitive”
Herod is a given name from Latin. It is used in Polish.
Original GreekΗρωδης
Meaning & origin
What it means
As a biblical name, Herod means “freeman,” “wanderer” or “fugitive.”
From biblical name research
Where it comes from
Herod is a variant of Harod. An origin associated with Harod is Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From the Hebrew verb 'arad (ערד), “to flee or be free.”
From biblical name research
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1921. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Herod appears in Matthew 2:1, Luke 3:1, Matthew 2:22 and 4 other passages.
- Matthew 2:1
- Luke 3:1
- Matthew 2:22
- Romans 16:10
- Matthew 14:3
- Matthew 14:1
- Acts 13:1
From biblical name research
Herod through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 37
- 37 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1924
- 7 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1968. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 7 in 1924. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,283 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Herod’s family of names
In Polish usage, Herod has a conventional equivalent in the Italian form ERODE. Herod has a related form in Harod. In Polish usage, Herod has a conventional equivalent in the Finnish form HERODES.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Herod has relatives in 26 languages.
16 related names in 26 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 16
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 12
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
- Rhodesshares a root
- Aradshares a root
- Aridaishares a root
- Ardonshares a root
- Iradshares a root
- Herodionshares a root
- Herodiasshares a root
- Arodishares a root
Show 4 moreShow fewer
People named Herod
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Herod, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Mosie
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Gomer
“complete” · “of the good fight”
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“son of the right hand” · “son of the south”
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“rising”
96% boys · 4% girls