Fun Facts About the Name Rhodes
- More than 2 thousand babies named Rhodes: U.S. records list 2,959 babies given the name Rhodes from 1880 through 2025. Even 218 girls received the name Rhodes - about 1 girl for every 13 boys.
What Does the Name Rhodes Mean?
Rhodes is used as a given name mainly as a transferred English surname, and the surname's core meaning is "clearing in a wood." That sense comes from Middle English rode, from Old English rōd, a word for a clearing or a spot where trees had been cut or cleared. The same root appears in northern English dialect words and place-name elements such as royd. A second, independent source is the Greek island of Rhodes, called Rhodos (Greek Ῥόδος). The meaning of that island name is not securely known; it is often thought to be older than Greek, and ancient writers connected it to the Greek word rhodon, "rose," an explanation that is repeated as "island of roses" but is a later, popular interpretation rather than a confirmed etymology.
Rhodes Name History & Origins
The English surname arose in the Middle Ages, when surnames were forming from where a person lived or held land. Someone dwelling by a clearing in woodland could be called by the Middle English word rode, and the same word named small settlements, so the surname is both topographic and habitational. In some families the surname instead points to the Greek island of Rhodes, taken by a person who had traveled or traded there, or by a descendant of someone from the island. That connection would have been strongest in the era of the Knights Hospitaller, who ruled Rhodes from 1309 until 1522.
In Greek tradition the island was linked to a nymph named Rhodos or Rhode, and the island's fame in the ancient world included the Colossus of Rhodes, a giant statue counted among the Seven Wonders. The personal name forms Rhode and Rhodos belong to Greek naming, but they are distinct from the English surname and are not the direct source of most modern English uses of Rhodes.
As a first name, Rhodes is a transferred surname, a pattern common in English-speaking countries, especially the United States. People also use it with the island or the surname in mind, but the given name itself has no separate ancient history; it rests on the English surname and its two possible sources.
How Popular is the Name Rhodes?
Rhodes recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2025. Its best rank was #575 in 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,376 | 46 | 0.0029% |
| 2024 | #3,730 | 41 | 0.0025% |
| 2023 | #4,257 | 34 | 0.0021% |
| 2022 | #4,877 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 2021 | #6,624 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2020 | #9,418 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #11,200 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #8,514 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2017 | #15,542 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #18,303 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #14,264 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #575 | 511 | 0.0299% |
| 2024 | #613 | 465 | 0.0271% |
| 2023 | #707 | 376 | 0.0220% |
| 2022 | #927 | 250 | 0.0143% |
| 2021 | #1,043 | 206 | 0.0118% |
| 2020 | #1,395 | 125 | 0.0072% |
| 2019 | #1,572 | 107 | 0.0060% |
| 2018 | #1,817 | 84 | 0.0046% |
| 2017 | #1,971 | 73 | 0.0039% |
| 2016 | #2,251 | 60 | 0.0032% |
| 2015 | #2,187 | 63 | 0.0033% |
| 2014 | #2,571 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 2013 | #2,798 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 2012 | #3,102 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 2011 | #5,151 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2010 | #4,486 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2009 | #6,021 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #4,670 | 21 | 0.0010% |
| 2007 | #6,989 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #10,418 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #6,146 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #7,403 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #8,152 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #9,394 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #7,133 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #6,977 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #9,862 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #4,152 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #4,536 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1951 | #3,644 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1946 | #3,926 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1944 | #3,373 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1938 | #3,462 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1937 | #3,463 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1934 | #2,911 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1933 | #4,053 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1932 | #4,179 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1930 | #4,446 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1928 | #3,639 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1927 | #3,708 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1926 | #3,647 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1925 | #3,669 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1924 | #3,447 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1922 | #4,832 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1921 | #3,443 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1920 | #4,839 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1918 | #3,314 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1916 | #3,132 | 8 | 0.0009% |
| 1915 | #3,334 | 7 | 0.0008% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Rhodes Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are a law unto itself. Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You are tolerant and like to help humanity. You are very active. You are generally warmhearted and gives freely of your time, energy, and sympathetic understanding. You have tolerance and acceptance of the frailties of others. Universal and humanitarian in outlook. This is very compassionate name. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Rhodes's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Rhodes's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.