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Rode Family History

Rode Surname Meaning

German and French: from a short form of any of various ancient Germanic personal names with the first element hrōd ‘renown’. Compare Robert Rudiger.

North German Danish and English: topographic name for someone who lived on land cleared for cultivation or in a clearing in woodland from Middle Low German rode, Danish rothe, Old English rod. There are a number of places in England named with this word, for example Rode in Cheshire, and the surname may derive from any of these. Compare Rhode.

Slovenian: from an archaic derivative of rod ‘curly’, also ‘rude’, ‘fatless’ (figuratively ‘insipid’) and ‘barren’, hence a nickname for a person with disheveled hair or for a towhead, or for a rude or insipid person, or perhaps a topographic name denoting someone who lived on barren land.

French (southern): metonymic occupational name for a wheelwright or topographic name for someone who lived by a waterwheel from Occitan rode ‘wheel’ (from Latin rota).

French: habitational name from La Rode, a place in Puy-de-Dôme, named with Old Occitan roda ‘bush’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Rode family from?

You can see how Rode families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Rode family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Rode families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 28 Rode families living in London. This was about 36% of all the recorded Rode's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Rode families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Rode surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Rode ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Rode. 40% of Rode women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Rode | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    40%
  • Domestic Servant
    40%
  • Domestic Duties
    20%

What Rode family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 19,000 census records available for the last name Rode. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Rode census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Rode

Passenger Lists

There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Rode. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Rode immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 7,000 military records available for the last name Rode. For the veterans among your Rode ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Rode military records

You've only scratched the surface of Rode family history

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What is the average Rode lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Rode life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Rode in 1940 was 41, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Rode

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Rode ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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