Rood
Usually an English surname for someone who lived by a rood, or cross, especially a wayside or church cross.
The #5,560 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 49,368 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is generally explained from Middle English rood, meaning “cross” or “crucifix,” from Old English rōd. In medieval usage, this could refer to a church rood or to an outdoor wayside cross. So the name likely began as a topographic surname for someone who lived near such a cross.
History
This explanation is supported by 19th-century surname scholars such as Lower and Harrison, who connect the name with residence by a cross. Early spellings can vary, including forms like Rodde and Rode, and the surname may sometimes overlap with similar-looking names from other roots. The name is recorded in medieval English sources, especially in southern and western counties.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Medieval church rood screens and rood lofts got their name from the same Old English word that lies behind the surname.
From the historical record
“Hreddburna. ROOD I Dweller at a Rod of land [M.E. rodd(fi, O.E. rod(d] 2 a dim. of Roderick, q.v., and Rodolph, q.v. 3 a form of Rudd, q.v., also a weak var. of Road(ei q>v. Nicholas de la Rodde. — Hund. Rolls. Rodd is the name of a Herefordshire”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)