Rod History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

The surname Rod 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 Rod family

The surname Rod 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 Rod family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rod 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 Rod History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rod Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Rod family

Distinguished members of the family include

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 Henr...
James Rodd of Hereford, was High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1624

Migration of the Rod family to Ireland

Some of the Rod 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.

Rod migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rod Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jeremy Rod, who settled in Virginia in 1630

Rod Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eliz Rod, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1731 5
Laurence Rod, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1731 5
Jacob Rod, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 5
Jacob Rod, who immigrated to Maryland in 1764

Rod Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

A Rod, aged 25, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1835 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Rod (post 1700) +

Edouard Rod (1857-1910), Swiss writer
Michael Rod Barfoot (b. 1980), former English cricketer from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast-medium
Rod Oram (1951-2024), British-born New Zealand journalist and commentator
Rod Bernard (1940-2020), American singer
Rod Holcomb (1943-2024), American television director and producer, best known for directing the pilot and finale of ER
Rod Coneybeare (1930-2019), Canadian puppeteer and voice actor, best known for his work on the long-lived Canadian children's program The Friendly Giant
Rod Bramblett, American sportscaster and is the current radio play-by-play announcer for Auburn Tigers football, basketball, and baseball
Rod Bryden (b. 1941), Canadian businessman from Port Elgin, New Brunswick, former owner of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League from 1992 until 2003
Rod G. M. "The Arrow" Hunter (1943-2018), Canadian four-time gold medalist curler and politician, inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 1974
Rod Muchnok, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1996 6

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
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html