Rhode
A surname with Germanic roots, likely from an old personal name based on the element meaning “fame” or “renown.”
The #9,237 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 87,637 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally taken from a shortened old Germanic personal name built on the element hrod-, meaning "fame" or "renown." In that tradition, Rhode would originally have meant "son or descendant of Hrod-" rather than describing a place or trade. Some historical writers also noted that in a few cases it could have been influenced by the female name Rhoda, but the Germanic personal-name explanation is the main one.
History
Nineteenth-century surname scholars placed Rhode among German and related continental forms alongside Rode, Rohde, and Rothe. The name appears in English and Irish surname notes only sporadically, suggesting it was much less common there than in German-speaking areas. In modern usage it remains relatively uncommon in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century onomastic work grouped Rhode with a whole family of spellings descending from the same old Germanic name element, showing how one root could generate many surnames across Europe.
From the historical record
“1661 Hairied— FnmciiS Rhode Padnall : St. Dionii The Manchester Evening News, Dec 8, 1B85, records the murder of BO old man named Springhatl at Hingham in Norfolk.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances