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Rhoads History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Rhoads History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Rhoads reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Rhoads family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Rhoads family lived in Lincolnshire at Rhoades, but more often than not, the name originates in the West Riding of Yorkshire. 1 The name literally means "dweller by the clearing(s)" from the Old English word "rod(u)." 2 As to confirm this meaning of the name, another source notes "a topographic name for someone who lived by a clearing in the woodland." 3 4 Accordingly, one must dispel the rather obvious assumption that the name was derived from Rhodes, in the Mediterranean Sea. 5

The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford that was established in 1902, by English businessman and politician Cecil John Rhodes (1853-1902.)

Early Origins of the Rhoads family

The surname Rhoads was first found in Yorkshire. "Roads is a numerous Bucks [(Buckinghamshire)] name. There are hamlets and villages called Rhodes in Lancashire and the West Riding. A family named Rodes or De Rodes flourished for 500 or 600 years in Lincolnshire, Notts [(Nottinghamshire)], Yorkshire, and Derbyshire: they were descended from Gerard de Rodes, a distinguished Baron of the 12th century. " 1

While we can find places named Rhodes in the United States, Australia and South Africa, we cannot find any in England today, nor can we find Rhoades in Lincolnshire. However, a second source notes the Yorkshire reference as follows: "This was a common Yorkshire entry, and explains the large number of Rhodes in the West Riding Directory." 6

As if to help us through this confusion, one source confirms that the first listing of the name was indeed found in Yorkshire as in Hugh de Rodes who was listed in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219. A few years later, Alexander de la rode was listed in 1277 in Norfolk. John atte Rode was listed in Bedfordshire in 1294 and Robert del Rodes was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332. 2

Early History of the Rhoads family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rhoads research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1550, 1591, 1663, 1664, 1668 and 1674 are included under the topic Early Rhoads History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rhoads Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Rhoads family name include Rhodes, Rhoades, Rhode, Rhoads, Roades, Roads and others.

Early Notables of the Rhoads family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Hugh Rhodes (fl. 1550), an English author of the 'Book of Nurture,' 'born and bred in' Devonshire, a gentleman of the king's chapel. 7John Rhoades, was an early American fur trader from New England, who was part of Jurriaen...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rhoads Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rhoads Ranking

In the United States, the name Rhoads is the 2,709^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 8

Rhoads migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Rhoads family to immigrate North America:

Rhoads Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Josiah Rhoads, who arrived in New York in 1797 9

Rhoads Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mrs. W. S. Rhoads, who settled in America, in 1892
Hannah Rhoads, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States, in 1894

Rhoads Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Joseph E. Rhoads, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States, in 1903
E. Clinton Rhoads, aged 40, who immigrated to America, in 1903
Edwin C. Rhoads, aged 42, who immigrated to the United States, in 1905
Ella S. Rhoads, aged 40, who landed in America, in 1906
Annie E. Rhoads, aged 40, who landed in America, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Rhoads (post 1700) +

Joseph Rhoads, American businessman and tanner, founder of J.E. Rhoads & Sons in 1702, the longest continually operating company in the United States until it closed in 2009
Ross Rhoads (1932-2017), American megachurch pastor
Terry Rhoads (1951-2013), American television actor, known for his work in Liar Liar (1997), The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and Hitchcock (2012)
Cornelius Packard "Dusty" Rhoads (1898-1959), American pathologist and oncologist, he appeared on the cover of the June 27, 1949 issue of Time magazine under the title "Cancer Fighter"
Webster Rhoads, American co-founder of Miller & Rhoads, a Virginia-based department store chain in 1885
Dean Rhoads (b. 1935), American politician, Republican member of the Nevada Senate (1984-)
Fred Rhoads (1921-2000), American cartoonist, best known for his contributions to George Baker's Sad Sack
James Evans Rhoads (1828-1895), American educator and administrator, first president of Bryn Mawr College
Barton Emory "Bob" Rhoads (1879-1967), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1902 to 1909
Samuel Rhoads (1711-1784), American architect, an associate and friend of Benjamin Franklin, Director of the Library Company of Philadelphia, Mayor of Philadelphia (1774-1775)
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Rhoads family +

Flight TWA 800

Mr. Harry Scott Rhoads (1948-1996), aged 48, from Bellevue, Washington, USA, American passenger with wife Marit E. Rhoads flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; he died in the crash 10
Mrs. Marit E. Rhoads (1948-1996), aged 48, from Bellevue, Washington, USA, American TWA crew member flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; she died in the crash 10

The Rhoads Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Robor meum Deus
Motto Translation: Strength through God.

Citations +

Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Hanks Patricia, Flavia Hodges, Mills A.D., Room Adrian, The Oxford Names Companion. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Print. (ISBN 0-19-860561-7)
Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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 Washington Post Passenger List TWA Flight 800. (Retrieved 2018, February 15th). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/twa800/list01.htm