Rhodes Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Rhodes last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Rhodes last name
Meaning of the Rhodes last name: dweller by a clearing. Rhodes is an English name for someone who lived by a clearing, from the Old English word rod. It is common in Yorkshire and the north. A curious detail: the name has no link with the Greek island of Rhodes, despite the spelling; the 'h' was added much later.
Arms associated with the Rhodes name
In England, gold stood for generosity and silver for peace, and the Rhodes name belongs to that old language of colour.
Get your full Rhodes family history
This is only a glimpse of the Rhodes story. The full Rhodes history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Rhodes coat of arms. Get the full Rhodes report.
Rhodes name FAQ
What does the Rhodes name mean?
Dweller by a clearing. Common variants include Rhoades, Roads, Rodes.
Where does the Rhodes surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and South Africa.
Is there a Rhodes coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Rhodes coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.