Rodday History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The surname Rodday is of several possible origins. Firstly, it is derived from "Rod(d)" the name of a village in Herefordshire; in this case, the original bearer of the name would have been someone who hailed from this region. 1 Alternatively, the name may be derived from the Old English "roda," meaning "clearing in a forest"; in this instance, it is likely that the progenitor of the name lived in such an area. Finally, the name may be derived from the Anglo-Saxon personal name "Rod," which is itself derived from the German "Hrod," meaning "fame." 2

Early Origins of the Rodday family

The surname Rodday was first found in Devon where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Nicholas de la Rodde as holding lands there at that time. Over one hundred years later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Johannes Rodde. 3

Moving to the extreme south and west of England, we found an early listing of the family in the parish of Northill, Cornwall. "The manor of Treveniel was the property of Sir George Carew, prior to the sixteenth century, of whom it was then purchased by the Spoures; and being included in the bequest of Mrs. Grylls to Francis Rodd, Esq. it has descended with her other property, to Francis Hearle Rodd, Esq. its present possessor. By a custom which had prevailed from time immemorial, the lord of this manor claimed of the mayor of Launceston the humiliating service of holding his stirrup, whenever he mounted his horse on the occasion of the duke of Cornwall's coming into the town. Another manor called Tolcarne, or Talkarne, was also included in the bequest of Mrs. Grylls to Mr. Rodd. This has likewise descended with the other estates, and is the property of F. H. Rodd, Esq. " 4

Early History of the Rodday family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rodday research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1481, 1530, 1562, 1588, 1599, 1624, 1634, 1639, 1641, 1645, 1656, 1658, 1659, 1660, 1666, 1743 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Rodday History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rodday Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Rodd, Rod, Rode, Rodde, Rodda and others.

Early Notables of the Rodday family

Distinguished members of the family include Theoderic (Theodoric or Theodericus) Rood ( fl. 1481), a printer of incunabula at Oxford, England. Francis Rodes (c. 1530-1588), was an English judge and son of John Rodes of Staveley Woodthorpe, Derbyshire. "The family traced its descent from Gerard de Rodes, a prominent Baron in the reign of Henry II. Rodes was succeeded in the Barlborough estates by his eldest son by his first wife, Sir John Rodes (1562-1639), whose son Francis (d. 1645) was created a Baronet on 14 Aug...
Another 85 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rodday Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Rodday family to Ireland

Some of the Rodday family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Rodday family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Jeremy Rod, who settled in Virginia in 1630; as did John Rodd in 1670; Jacob Rod, who immigrated to Maryland in 1764; William Rodd, who came to Philadelphia in 1774.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print