Rodney comes from an English surname and place name, Rodney Stoke in Somerset, which is usually explained as "Hroda's island" from an Old English personal name and eg, "island". Admiral George Rodney made it a given name in the 18th century, and comedian Rodney Dangerfield gave it an American face. A top 50 name in the 1960s, Rodney ranked number 342 in 2000, fell out of the top 1000 in 2023 and stands at number 1093 in 2025.