Given name & surname
Roddy
“a famous ruler”
Roddy is a variant of Rod. In English use, Rod carries the interpretation “a famous ruler.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Roddy is a variant of Rod. In English use, Rod carries the interpretation “a famous ruler.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Roddy is a diminutive of Roderick. An origin associated with Roderick is Germanic.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Roddy is a diminutive of Roderick. In English usage, Roddy is a diminutive of Rodger.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1914. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Roddy is a diminutive 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
Roddy through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,541
- 2,541 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1960
- 86 babies
- 2025
- 10
- #8,115 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 8,115 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 86 in 1960. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,742 as a first name in 2020; 6,696 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.
Roddy’s family of names
In English usage, Roddy is a diminutive of Roderick. Roddy has a related form in Rod. Roddy is an affectionate form of Roderick.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 5
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 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Roddy
- Roddy McDowallBritish actor (1928–1998)
- Roddy PiperCanadian professional wrestler (1954–2015)
- Roddy DoyleIrish authorborn 1958
- Roddy WhiteAmerican football player (born 1981)
- Roddy McEachraneScottish footballer (1878-1952)1877–1952
- Roddy Maude-RoxbyBritish actorborn 1930
- Roddy FrameScottish singer-songwriter and musicianborn 1964
- Roddy HughesBritish actor (1891-1970)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Roddy, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Rolf
“a famous wolf”
>99% boys
Rudy
“a well-known woman”
94% boys · 6% girls
Rodell
“a famous ruler”
99% boys · 1% girls
Ronny
“displaying her true image” · “song of Joy”
99% boys · 1% girls
Reinaldo
“the king's advisor”
>99% boys
Eddy
“a wealthy protector” · “one who is wealthy in friendship”
94% boys · 6% girls
Reggy
“the king's advisor”
>99% boys
Ronell
“the king's advisor”
>99% boys