Name of the Week: Rhodri

 

Origin:

Rhodri is an Old Welsh name composed of the words rhod "wheel" and rhi "ruler." It was from an early time Latinised as Rodericus, the Latin form Roderick, an unrelated Germanic name (composed of hrod "fame" and ric "power, ruler") which was introduced to Britain by the Normans.

Usage:

Rhodri had use within early medieval Welsh nobility such as Rhodri ap Idwal (d.754), king of Gwynedd. One of the most famous bearers of the name is Rhodri ap Merfyn (c. 820–878), known to history as Rhodri Mawr ("the Great") thanks to his being one of the first men to contribute to the growth of the nation of Wales.  Not only was he regarded as a great warrior, Rhodri -- who inherited the Kingdom of Gwynedd from his father -- was ruler of more than half of modern Wales by his death, thanks to inheritance of land from his mother and wife. In 856, Rhodri Mawr famously had a great victory against a force of invading Danes. He also fought off attacks from neighbouring Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.  Rhodri Mawr's grandson, the revered ruler Hwywel Dda ("the Good") had a son named Rhodri ap Hywel (d.953) who succeeded his father as King of Deheubarth. Rhodri continued to be used within medieval Welsh royalty, though it was relatively uncommon. In Welsh Surnames, Morgan and Morgan state: "it is strange how infrequently the name Rhodri occurs in the medieval period."* The name Rhodri all but died out by the late Middle Ages, especially with the suppression of the Welsh language and culture from the 16th to 18th century. The Act of Union in 1536 banned Welsh speakers from public office and made English the official language of the country. This took place against a background of high immigration of non-Welsh speakers into Wales which began to dilute Welsh-speaking populations.  According to an analysis of first names from the 1851 Glamorgan census, "men with distinctively Welsh names accounted for only 8% of all men and a mere 2% of women." Rhodri was used in small numbers in the 19th century, but it wasn't until the 1940s that it began to be revised seriously in Wales.  Registration records for Rhodri as a first name in England and Wales: 1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 1970s: 1 birth 0 births 0 births 2 births 1 birth 3 births 3 births 9 births 6 births 6 births 27 births 60 births 168 births 449 births In recent years, Rhodri has seen a decline in England and Wales, as we can see from the chart below: However, most of the births for Rhodri in recent years have been in Wales. When the data for England and Wales is separated, we get a very different picture. The following chart shows the regional data for Wales alone from 2010 to 2016: The 2013 regional data is missing, as it was not released by the ONS. However, based on the total number of births of Rhodri in that year, I am estimating would have ranked around the #190 mark in Wales that year.  The chart below shows the disparity between the usage of Rhodri in Wales and England individually.    Wales England E&W Combined 2014 2015 2016 #135 (25 births) #197 (15 births) #223 (12 births) 5 births 5 births 7 births #959 #1279 #1363 In 2017, Rhodri ranked #1247 with 21 births in England and Wales combined.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Rhodri Molwynog ap Idwal (690–754), Welsh king * Rhodri ap Merfyn (c. 820–878), Welsh king. * Rhodri ap Hywel (died 953), Welsh king. * Rhodri ap Gruffudd (1230–1315), Welsh prince. Contemporary: * Rhodri Morgan (1939-2017), First Minister of Wales 2000–2009. * Rhodri "Rhod" Gilbert (born 1968), Welsh comedian and presenter. * Rhodri Owen (born 1972), Welsh television presenter. * Rhodri Meilir (born 1978), Welsh actor. * Rhodri Davies (born 1983), Welsh rugby player. * Rhodri McAtee (born 1984), Welsh rugby player. * Rhodri Jones (born 1991), Welsh rugby player.

Variants:

Rhodry, Rhodric

Pronunciation:

RHOD-ree [key]

Possible diminutives:

Rod, Roddy, Roy

Sibling Names:

Eleri     Gwenno     Eira     Celyn     Aneira     Betsan  Lloyd     Emrys     Griff     Macsen     Tristan     Caio

Name Lists:

Cool Celtic   Slim Softies

 

If you like Rhodri you may also like:   Llewelyn, Ruan, Gwion, Lorcan, Bodhi, Gwilym, Aneurin, Ruairi, Euan, Rhydian

Thanks to Kristin for requesting this name.