Roderick, Rodrick or Roderic (
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic languages, Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages.
Proto-Germanic eventually developed from ...
, from , + , ) is a
Germanic name
Germanic given names are traditionally dithematic; that is, they are formed from two elements ( stems), by joining a prefix and a suffix. For example, King Æþelred's name was derived from ', meaning "noble", and ', meaning "counsel". The i ...
, recorded from the 8th century onward.
[Förstemann, ''Altdeutsches Namenbuch'' (1856)]
740
Its
Old High German
Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...
forms are , , , , , ; in
Gothic language
Gothic is an extinct language, extinct East Germanic languages, East Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the ''Codex Argenteus'', a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only Ea ...
; in
Old English language it appears as or , and in
Old Norse
Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
as (
Old East Norse , ,
Old West Norse as , ).
In the 12th-century ''
Primary Chronicle'', the name is reflected as , i.e. ''
Rurik
Rurik (also spelled Rorik, Riurik or Ryurik; ; ; died 879) was a Varangians, Varangian chieftain of the Rus' people, Rus' who, according to tradition, was invited to reign in Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod in the year 862. The ''Primary Chronicle' ...
''. In
Spanish and
Portuguese, it was rendered as ''
Rodrigo'', or in its short form, ''Ruy or Rui'', and in
Galician, the name is ''Roy'' or ''Roi''. In
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
, the form (), used to refer
Roderic
Roderic (also spelled Ruderic, Roderik, Roderich, or Roderick; Spanish language, Spanish and , ; died 711) was the Visigoths, Visigothic king in Hispania between 710 and 711. He is well known as "the last king of the Goths". He is actually an ex ...
(
Ulfilan ), the last king of the Visigoths.
Saint Roderick () is one of the
Martyrs of Córdoba.
The modern English name does not continue the Anglo-Saxon form but was re-introduced from the continent by the
Normans
The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...
in
medieval England. The
Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...
given name had also virtually disappeared by the 19th century, even though it had survived as a surname. The given name was re-popularised by
Sir Walter Scott's poem ''
The Vision of Don Roderick'' (1811), where ''Roderick'' refers to the
Visigothic king. The modern English name is sometimes abbreviated to
Roddy.
''Roderick'' is also an
Anglicisation
Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
of several unrelated names. As a surname and given name it is used as an anglicised form of the
Welsh . The given name ''Roderick'' is also used as an anglicised form of the
Gaelic personal name
Rory (, ; , ).
Medieval period
*
Hreðric, king
Hroðgar's son in ''
Beowulf'', who has various counterparts named ''Rørik'' and ''Hrœrekr'' in
Norse mythology
*
Hrœrekr Ringslinger (''Rørik Slængeborræ'' or ''Rørik Slyngebond''), mythological king in what is today Denmark. Father of Queen Gertrude, the prototype of
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's Prince
Hamlet, possibly mixed up with the Viking prince of Novgorod,
Rurik
Rurik (also spelled Rorik, Riurik or Ryurik; ; ; died 879) was a Varangians, Varangian chieftain of the Rus' people, Rus' who, according to tradition, was invited to reign in Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod in the year 862. The ''Primary Chronicle' ...
; or the same person.
*
Roderic
Roderic (also spelled Ruderic, Roderik, Roderich, or Roderick; Spanish language, Spanish and , ; died 711) was the Visigoths, Visigothic king in Hispania between 710 and 711. He is well known as "the last king of the Goths". He is actually an ex ...
, 8th-century
king of the Visigoths in Visigothic Kingdom of Spain.
*
Rorik of Dorestad, chieftain who ruled Frisia, in the 9th century
*
Rurik
Rurik (also spelled Rorik, Riurik or Ryurik; ; ; died 879) was a Varangians, Varangian chieftain of the Rus' people, Rus' who, according to tradition, was invited to reign in Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod in the year 862. The ''Primary Chronicle' ...
, 9th-century prince of
Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...
, known as ''Hrøríkr'' of ''Holmgard,'' in Norse literature,
Varangian viking
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
King
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
.
*
Saint Roderick (d. 857), one of the
Martyrs of Córdoba.
*
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043–1099), better known as
El Cid
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar ( – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and ruler in medieval Spain. Fighting both with Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific ("the Lord" or "the Master"), which would evolve i ...
, or simply Rodrigo, was a Castilian nobleman and military leader in medieval Spain.
*
Rorich von Scheidt genaant Weschpfennig (1515-1565), German nobleman who was Lord of
Scheidt,
Bröl,
Lohmar, among various estates, and served as Landjäegermeister for the Blankenberg office. He was father of
Wilhelm von Scheidt.
*
S Uciredor ("Rodericus" spelled backwards), Medieval composer
Modern given name
See also: '
*
Roderick Anderson (born 1972), American basketball player
*
Roderick Beaton, British Hellenist
*
Roderick "Rory" Bremner (b. 1961), British impressionist
*
Roderick Bowe, Bahamian military officer and the 6th commodore of the
Royal Bahamas Defence Force
*
Roderic "Rod" Brind'Amour (born 1970), Canadian ice hockey player
*
Roderick Chadwick (born 1978), England classical pianist
*
Roderick Chisholm (1916–1999), American philosopher
*
Roderick Coyne (born 1945), English artist, sculptor
*
Roderick Firth (1917–1987), Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University
*
Roderick "Roddy" Frame (born 1964), Scottish singer, songwriter and musician
*
Roderic Hill (1894-1954), senior Royal Air Force commander, one of the principal commanders of
Operation Steinbock and
1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine
*
Roderick Hunt, British children's author
*
Roderick Johnson (born 1995), American football player
*
Roderick Lewis (born 1971), American football player
*
Roderick MacKinnon (born 1956), professor of Molecular Neurobiology and Biophysics at Rockefeller University
*
Roderick Miranda (born 1991), Portuguese footballer
*
Roderick Murchison (1792–1871), Scottish geologist who first described and investigated the Silurian system
*
Roderick R. Allen (1894–1970), Major General in the United States Army
*
Roderick R. Butler (1827-1902), American politician
*
Roddy Ricch (born 1998), real name Roderick Wayne Moore Jr., American rapper
*
Roderick Robinson II (born 2004), American football player
*
Roderick "Rod" Stewart (born 1945), English singer/songwriter
*
Roderick Strong (born 1983), American professional wrestler
*
Roderick Toombs or Roddy Piper (1954–2015), Canadian retired professional wrestler and film actor
*
Roderick Watson (born 1943), Scottish poet, born in Aberdeen
*
Roderick Williams (born 1965), English operatic baritone
*
Rodric Williams, British solicitor
Fictional characters
*
Roderick Alleyn, a fictional detective created by ''
Ngaio Marsh''.
*Rodrick Heffley, a fictional character in the children's book series ''
Diary of a Wimpy Kid.''
*Roderick Kingsey, also known as
Hobgoblin a supervillain in
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
*Roderick Random, protagonist of the 1748 novel ''
The Adventures of Roderick Random'', by Tobias Smollett
*
Roderick Spode, recurring fictional character from the Jeeves novels of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse
*Roderick Usher, from
Edgar Allan Poe's short story ''
The Fall of the House of Usher''.
Modern surname
See also
Rodriguez and
Rodrigues.
*
Aaron Roderick (born 1972), wide receivers coach for the University of Utah Utes football team
*
Brande Roderick (born 1974), American model and actress
*
Buckley Roderick (1862–1908), Welsh solicitor, international rugby union forward and a Vice-Consular for Spain
*
Caerwyn Roderick (1927–2011), British Labour Party politician
*
Casey Roderick (born 1992), American stock car racing driver
*
David Roderick (born 1970), award-winning American poet, Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
*
George H. Roderick (1880–1963), official in the United States Department of the Army during the Eisenhower Administration
*
Jane Roderick, British slalom canoeist who competed in the early 1980s
*
John Roderick (American football), former professional American football wide receiver
*
John Roderick (correspondent) (1914–2008), American journalist, foreign correspondent for the Associated Press news service
*
John Roderick (musician), American musician and writer
*
Judy Roderick (1942–1992), American blues singer and songwriter
*
Libby Roderick, American singer/songwriter, recording artist, poet, activist, and teacher
*
Matt Von Roderick (born 1974), American trumpeter, singer and recording artist
*
Myron Roderick (1934–2011), American wrestler
*
Philip Roderick, British Anglican priest, founder of the Quiet Garden Movement
*
Richard Roderick (died 1756), British editor and poet
*
Rick Roderick (1949–2002), American professor of philosophy
Other
*Roderick, favorite horse of
Nathan Bedford Forrest, Confederate general in the American Civil War
*
Kenneth Roderick O'Neal (1908–1989), African-American architect
*
Spencer Buford House, historic house listed on the NRHP in Williamson County, Tennessee, known also as ''Roderick'' for Nathan Bedford Forrest's horse
*
Roderick (novel), 1980 science fiction novel by John Sladek
*
16194 Roderick (2000 AJ231), main-belt asteroid
See also
*
Roderic
Roderic (also spelled Ruderic, Roderik, Roderich, or Roderick; Spanish language, Spanish and , ; died 711) was the Visigoths, Visigothic king in Hispania between 710 and 711. He is well known as "the last king of the Goths". He is actually an ex ...
*
Rodrick (disambiguation)
*
Rodrigo
*
Rodriguez (surname)
*
Rurik
Rurik (also spelled Rorik, Riurik or Ryurik; ; ; died 879) was a Varangians, Varangian chieftain of the Rus' people, Rus' who, according to tradition, was invited to reign in Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod in the year 862. The ''Primary Chronicle' ...
*
Broderick
*
Germanic names
References
External links
Lexikon över urnordiska personnamn
{{Given name, type=both
English masculine given names
Masculine given names
Surnames
Given names
German masculine given names