Roddy
A surname that most likely began as a pet form of Roderick or Rodolph, though in some cases it may reflect a nickname from “ruddy.”
The #4,939 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 43,321 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Roddy is usually treated as a double diminutive or pet form of names such as Roderick and Rodolph, with the ending -y used in English to make a familiar nickname. Those source names are Germanic in origin and carry the sense of fame, power, or renown. In some records, however, Roddy is also explained as a variant of Ruddy, pointing to the color-based nickname “red” or “ruddy.”
History
The surname is found in both English and Irish contexts, and historical writers sometimes note that it does not look primarily locational. In Irish material, Roddy appears alongside spellings such as Ruddy and Reddy, suggesting overlap among related surnames and anglicized forms. In Scotland and England it could also function simply as a short form of Roderick or Rodolph, which makes its origins somewhat mixed.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 20th-century surname writer explicitly says Roddy does not seem to be a place-name with elements like -ey or -hay, but instead a nickname or pet form.
From the historical record
“RODDY I a double dim. of Roderick, q.v., and Rodolph, q.v. [E. dim. suff. -y] 2 a var. of Ruddy, q.v. There does not seem to be any trace of this hame being local, with a second ele- ment -ey, 'island,' or -hay, -hey, 'enclosure.' RODE, V. Road(e. RODEN (Eng.) i Bel. to Roden ; or Dweller at”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)