The Roden surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,653 people carried this name — #5,245 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 44,200 people counted. That is up 5% from 6,325 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Roden surname

As a surname in the United Kingdom

Harrison classes it as an English name: ‘Dweller at the Roe-Valley’.

Or “the Reedy Valley”; also from the place Roden.

From Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. II (London: The Morland Press, 1918), p. 119 · public domain.

In Belgium’s population register

At least 50 people named Roden live in Belgium.

Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Flemish Brabant.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Flemish Brabant 35
Antwerp 10
Limburg 5

Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 42 people named Roden.

3 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 16 départements, most often Moselle.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 3
Moselle 6
Paris 6
Pas-de-Calais 5
Meurthe-et-Moselle 4
Bas-Rhin 3
Ain 2
Seine-Saint-Denis 2
Allier 2

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 27 people named Roden live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Chaco.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Chaco 27

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Poland’s population register

26 people named Roden have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 39 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 2 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Opole.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Opole 24
Lublin 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

303 people named Roden is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 303

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Roden in American newspapers,
1906–1907.

Newspaper page from The Columbus Weekly Dispatch carrying the name Roden
The Columbus Weekly Dispatch 1907-05-16
Newspaper page from The Salt Lake Herald carrying the name Roden
The Salt Lake Herald 1906-08-26
Newspaper page from The Salt Lake Herald carrying the name Roden
The Salt Lake Herald 1906-04-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 33,645 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Roden in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

6,891 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Roden. The most, 1,197, date from the 1940s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 5.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,882
Queensland 1,545
Tasmania 850
Victoria 778
South Australia 413
ACT (Canberra) 190
Western Australia 162
Northern Territory 66

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Roden.

Who carried it

People named Roden,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Karel Roden starší
    Karel Roden starší 1891–1961 · actor
  • Frances Alicia Fetherstonhaugh d. 1898
  • Dorothea Roden 1607–1644
  • William Thomas Roden 1818–1892 · painter
  • Ephraim Parsons Roden 1833–1911 · reporter
  • Hugo Roden 1873–

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Roden,
in the records of 10 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States894 records

894 records of the Roden name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 335
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 225
  • Other U.S. records 334
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John J. Roden

    Born 1913 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at New York City; filling station attendant from Nassau County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1984, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Truman R. Roden

    Born 1920 in Alabama. Enlisted 1942 at Fort McClellan; farm hand from Etowah County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Crossville, Alabama.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Vincent M. Roden

    Born 1909 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island; secondary school teacher. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1993, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 894 records for Roden in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).

Australia234 records

234 records of the Roden name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 95
  • Tasmanian Names Index 73
  • Other Australian records 66
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Peter Roden

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Elphinstone, sailing from London in 1837. Native of Manchester, Lancashire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1840.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Roden

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the John Renwick, sailing from Spithead in 1842. Native of Hanley, Staffordshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Fanny Kate Roden

    Died 1920 in Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1920.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 234 records for Roden in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Netherlands157 records

157 records of the Roden name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 97
  • Dutch population registers 45
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 15
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Arian Roden

    Married in 1852 in Egmond-Binnen; day labourer. Died 1870 in Heiloo, aged 52.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jan Michaël Hubertus Roden

    Married in 1884 in Schin op Geul; clog maker, born 1856 in Klimmen. Died 1924 in Simpelveld, aged 68.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Nicolas Roden

    Married in 1912 in Nijmegen; soldier, born 1869 in Grötzingen, Germany. Died 1931 in Elst, aged 62.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 157 records for Roden in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Germany75 records

75 records of the Roden name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Mathias Roden

    From Stainungen, Daun. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 9 June 1915 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 237).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Johann Roden

    From Emlichheim, Bentheim. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 26 July 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hugo Roden

    From Hamburg. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 8 December 1914.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 75 records for Roden in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

France32 records

32 records of the Roden name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Lucie Marie Elisabeth Roden

    Born 1920 in Gex (Ain); died 1984 in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Georges Jean Roden

    Born 1914 in Paris; died 1986 in Moulins (Allier).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Pauline Roden

    Born 1894 in Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle); died 1991 in Montpellier (Hérault).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 32 records for Roden in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

United Kingdom17 records

17 records of the Roden name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 14
  • Welsh wills index cards 2
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 1
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Keith Sargent Roden

    Born 1893 at Droitwich. Served in the First World War. Named in the University of Aberdeen roll of service in the Great War, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Joesph Roden

    Will proved in 1931; of Mold, Flint.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 2 of 17 records for Roden in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada9 records

9 records of the Roden name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 3
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • Other Canadian records 4
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thos Roden

    Came to Ontario in 1876 aboard the Sarmatian, landing at Quebec, bound for Aurora, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Frederick Roden

    Died 1931; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.

Showing 2 of 9 records for Roden in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

New Zealand6 records

6 records of the Roden name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Anne Roden

    Died 1909, aged 23; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Adelaide Eleanor Roden

    Died 1965, aged 70; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Roden in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Norway6 records

6 records of the Roden name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Ivar Rodén

    Census of 1910: Bruastua, Mjøndalen, Nedre Eker; "cellulosarbeider", born 1883 in Sweden.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Laura Roden

    Census of 1910: Ersgaard, Faaberg; born 1883 in østre Toten.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Roden in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Belgium2 records

2 records of the Roden name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Maria Roden

    Died 1903 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Roden in Belgium.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Roden.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Roden is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Roden volume
Scroll to Top