Rhode

Rhode is the Greek form of Rhoda.

Rhoda itself comes from the ancient Greek word ῥόδον (rhodon), meaning "rose." In the New Testament, Rhoda is the name of a servant girl (a maid) in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark (Acts 12:13–15). When Peter knocked at the gate after being freed from prison, Rhoda recognized his voice and was so overjoyed that she forgot to let him in. This brief but vivid episode is where the name is recorded in Christian tradition.

Etymology and Use in English

As an English given name, Rhoda began to be used in the 17th century, following the Protestant Reformation and increased interest in biblical names. The form Rhode, however, appears in some Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament (for example, the Latin Vulgate and the Greek textus receptus).

While Rhode was relatively rare compared to Rhoda in the English-speaking world, it may sometimes have been conflated with the surname Rhode.The surname Rhode, recorded since Middle English, has multiple origins: it can denote a person who lived near a woodland clearing (from Old English rod or rodu) or near a reed bed (from Old English hrēod). The spelling with '-e' was reinforced in the 16th century by analogy with the placename Rhodes in Greece.

• Meaning: Rose (via Rhoda)
• Origin: Greek
• Type: Biblical name; also a surname
• Usage Regions: Greek Bible, Latin Bible, Ancient Greece; later sparse use as an English given name and surname