Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Roderick

Roderick comes from the ancient Germanic masculine name Hroderich which is comprised of the Germanic elements “hrōd” (fame) and “rīc” (power). King Roderick, known as King Rodrigo to the Spanish, holds the distinction of being the last Visigothic king of Hispania in the 8th century (before the Iberian Peninsula fell to the Moors). From an Olde English perspective, Hrēðrīc was brought to England pre-Middle Ages by Scandinavian settlers. Later in the 11th century, Roderick was a given name reinforced by way of the French-Normans (Rodrigue) who came to conquer England in 1066. The name barely survived beyond medieval England until its resurrection in the early 19th century by Sir Walter Scott’s widely read poem “The Vision of Don Roderick” (1811). See literary references below. Furthermore, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar was the name of “El Cid”, the 11th century Castilian military leader and legendary hero who famously fought against the occupying Moors and recaptured the Spanish coastal city of Valѐncia. For obvious reasons, Rodrigo has seen most of his popularity on the Iberian Peninsula among the Spanish and Portuguese, but Roderick has also done quite well in more modern times among English-speakers. Besides the Spanish Rodrigo, the Russian form of Roderick, Rurik, is likewise entrenched in historic importance. Circa 862 A.D., a Viking from the Baltic region named Rurik came down into the territory we now know as Russia, built a settlement in Novgorod which sits on the all-important Volga River, and started the first Russian dynasty which lasted all the way up until the 17th century. It’s interesting to note that it was a Scandinavian named Rurik (Roderick) and not a Slav who established the first kingdom of Rus’ (Russia). A founder of Russia, a King of the Visigoths and El Cid are three “famously powerful” men who all share some form of the name Roderick. We should also mention that Rhydderch (meaning "reddish brown") is considered a Welsh form of Roderick.

All About the Baby Name – Roderick

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME RODERICK

The number 11 is a Master Number, and embodies heightened traits of the Two. This personality is on a life journey to find spiritual truth. They are extremely idealistic and intuitive. Elevens have a rare and exceptional spiritual energy that brings a sense of obligation to illuminate the world around them. It's a very powerful responsibility, but these people have far more potential than they know. It's important that they surrender to higher ideals. They have the capacity to see the bigger picture, and they possess the skills to inspire others spiritually. Elevens have strong diplomatic skills and can become great peacemakers. Master numbers can be both a blessing and a curse, as they walk the fine line between greatness and the potential for self-destruction.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME RODERICK

Germanic names tend to be strong, masculine and a little rough around the edges. Roderick is no exception to this rule. Dating back to the late 19th century in America, Roderick is a name that’s familiar to all of us even though it’s never been a super trendy choice. Roderick reached the height of his success in terms of usage in the 1960s and 70s, having achieved his best position on the charts in 1967 at spot #221. The 1980s and 90s were less kind to Roderick as his decent down the charts began, but it was really during the 2000s that the name dropped like rocks. Now barely visible on the Top 1000 list, Roderick may be headed for hibernation. Even if Roderick disappears from the American radar for a while, we trust he will return one day again. This ancient name has demonstrated too much staying power to vanish forever. American naming styles today favor softer masculine names like Ethan and Noah, or Jayden and Aiden. Roderick is very Germanic, tough and strong. There’s less of an audience for such names today, and so old Roderick is left to accumulate dust until he is once again appreciated for his once “famous power”. Potential nicknames include: Derek, Rick, Rod, Roddy or Rory.

Quick Facts

ON RODERICK

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

984

PRONUNCIATION:

RAHD-ə-rik

SIMPLE MEANING:

Famous power

Characteristics

OF RODERICK

Inspirational

Highly Intuitive

Spiritual Teacher

Extremely Bright

Uplifting

Truth-seeker

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Roderick

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME RODERICK

Roderick Usher is the main character in Edgar Allen Poe’s famous 1839 short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher”. Roderick is a great name, but this character is a mess! Sorry, that’s the way it is. He and his invalided, bed-ridden, in-a-trance mess of a twin sister, Madeline, live together in the decaying family mansion. She is a physical wreck and he’s an emotional one; the eerie and distasteful suggestion of a kind of spiritual incest between them hangs in the air. Roderick has called upon a friend, the unnamed narrator, to come and help him out – and he needs it! Roderick is a hypochondriac and a probable agoraphobic who also, just by the way, buries his sister alive, while telling his friend she is dead. Not so fast, says she, managing to claw her way out of her tomb and take her revenge on Roderick. At the end of this cheery tale, the narrator escapes with his life, while the House of Usher splits in two and falls upon the dead Roderick and Madeline, now united forever. In 1960, Roger Corman made a low-budget film entitled House of Usher, with Vincent Price as Roderick, but that doesn’t help matters at all.

The Vision of Don Roderick is an 1811 poem by Sir Walter Scott about the last Visigothic King of Spain Rodrigo’s legendary vision (Rodrigo’s name was anglicized to Roderick by the Scottish poet). In the poem, the king goes inside a magical chamber where, according to legend, the future will be exposed but only to the “last” King of Spain. Amidst his military campaign against the Moors, the king enters the magnificent marble chamber and sees two giant bronze statues on either side of the hall. One statue is holding an hourglass which instantly runs out of sand, while the other giant statue hurls a scepter at a far wall which immediately displays a movie-like panorama revealing the future of Spain. It foretells the imminent conquest by the Moors (8th century); the Spanish Inquisition (15th century) and the Napoleonic conquest of Portugal (around the time this poem was written, between 1807 and 1814). It also revealed how the British would come to the aid of the Portuguese and help liberate them. The proceeds from the sale of the poem were used to help fund the Portuguese but also to provide inspiration for a victorious outcome.

The Vision of Don Roderick is an 1811 poem by Sir Walter Scott about the last Visigothic King of Spain Rodrigo’s legendary vision (Rodrigo’s name was anglicized to Roderick by the Scottish poet). In the poem, the king goes inside a magical chamber where, according to legend, the future will be exposed but only to the “last” King of Spain. Amidst his military campaign against the Moors, the king enters the magnificent marble chamber and sees two giant bronze statues on either side of the hall. One statue is holding an hourglass which instantly runs out of sand, while the other giant statue hurls a scepter at a far wall which immediately displays a movie-like panorama revealing the future of Spain. It foretells the imminent conquest by the Moors (8th century); the Spanish Inquisition (15th century) and the Napoleonic conquest of Portugal (around the time this poem was written, between 1807 and 1814). It also revealed how the British would come to the aid of the Portuguese and help liberate them. The proceeds from the sale of the poem were used to help fund the Portuguese but also to provide inspiration for a victorious outcome.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME RODERICK

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Roderick


Popular Songs

ON RODERICK

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Roderick


Famous People

NAMED RODERICK

Roderick "Rod" Stewart (musician)
Roderick "Roddy" McDowall (British actor)
Roderick Strong (wrestler)
Roderick "Roddy" Toombs (aka Roddy Piper, wrestler)
Roderick MacKinnon (Nobel Prize winner, chemistry)
Roderick Long (American libertarian)
Roderick Murchison (Scottish geologist)

Children of Famous People

NAMED RODERICK

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Roderick

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME RODERICK

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Roderick