Baby Name: Roderick

A compound name derived from "hrod" and "ric." Widely used in literature. Sir Walter Scott used the name in his 1810 novel, "The Lady in the Lake." Edgar Allan Poe embraced the name for a character in his 1839 short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher." It was also the title character in "Roderick Hudson," a 1876 novel by Henry James. British actor Roddy McDowall, born Roderick McDowall, adopted the nickname.