Given name & surname
Rhoda
“woman from Rhodes”·“resembling a rose; a woman from Rhodes”
Rhoda is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “woman from Rhodes” and “resembling a rose; a woman from Rhodes” (Greek). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Ancient GreekῬόδη
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “woman from Rhodes” and “resembling a rose; a woman from Rhodes” (Greek). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
In English usage, Rhoda developed from Ῥόδη.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Rhoda is a feminine form of Roderick. The history of Roderick gives this family its wider story. Walter Scott’s The Vision of Don Roderick helped revive the name in the nineteenth century, using it for the Spanish king Rodrigo. Roderick has also served as an English rendering of Gaelic Ruairidh and Welsh Rhydderch, without making those names etymologically identical.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Rhoda appears in Acts 12:13.
From biblical name research
Rhoda through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 26,069
- 12 boys · 26,057 girls
- Most popular year
- 1926
- 547 babies
- 2025
- 47
- #3,338 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +12%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 47 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,338 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 12.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 547 in 1926. In 2025, Pennsylvania had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (13). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,868 as a first name in 2020; 1,091 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.
Rhoda’s family of names
Rhoda is a feminine form of Roderick. Rhoda has a related form in Roda. Rhoda has a related form in Rodina.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 16
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Rhoda
- Rhoda GriffisAmerican actressborn 1965
- Rhoda BroughtonWelsh novelist (1840–1920)
- Rhoda Rennieswimmer1909–1963
- Rhoda ScottAmerican musicianborn 1938
- Rhoda WilliamsAmerican actress (1930-2006)
- Rhoda MulaudziSouth African footballerborn 1989
- Rhoda KalemaUgandan politician1929–2025
- Rhoda AbbottRMS Titanic's passenger (1873-1946)
- Rhoda ErdmannGerman biologist (1870-1935)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Rhoda, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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