Todd

Todd: a fox name from an English surname

Todd means “fox,” from an English surname based on Middle English todde. The animal word became a family name and later a given name, preserving the same compact sound. English gives Todd one syllable, with a pronunciation that differs mainly in the vowel between American and British accents.

From todde to Todd

The surname carries an older English word for the fox. Its later use as a first name belongs to the broader practice of using surnames in personal naming, with the original word meaning still visible behind the family name.

Todd was uncommon as a given name before 1930. Its strongest period came much later, especially in the 1960s and 1970s in English-speaking countries. That timing gives it a distinct twentieth-century naming history despite the much older word behind it.

The doubled d belongs to the spelling and does not create a second syllable. American English commonly has a vowel close to the one in father, while British English usually uses the shorter rounded vowel in hot. Both preserve the same brief consonant outline.

Todd Rundgren as performer and songwriter

Musician Todd Rundgren gives the name a major popular-music association. His 1972 album Something/Anything? included “Hello It’s Me” and “I Saw the Light,” songs that became closely associated with his solo career. His work brought together songwriting, singing, instrumental performance, and the use of recording technology.

The next year brought A Wizard, a True Star, a record that continued his experiments with form and studio sound. He also developed the group Utopia, taking another path alongside his solo recordings. These projects made Todd familiar on album covers and in concert announcements across different musical settings.

Production work behind other artists

Rundgren’s career also included producing records for other performers. His work ranged from the New York Dolls’ debut album to Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell, Patti Smith’s Wave, and XTC’s Skylarking. Those credits gave him an important role behind recordings with very different musical identities.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted him in 2021, recognizing a career that crossed the usual boundaries between performer, songwriter, and producer. His public given name stayed consistent across those roles, connecting Todd with both the voice heard on his own records and the studio decisions behind other artists’ work.

Todd in American records

Todd reached both its best U.S. boy-name rank and its largest annual count in 1964: number 28, with 15,350 births. That substantial cohort places its strongest American period firmly in the 1960s.

It ranked 976 in 2015, 1,413 in 2020, and 1,618 in 2025. Todd is now much rarer on American birth registrations than during its mid-century peak, while its older fox meaning remains straightforward.

How popular is Todd?

In 2025, Todd ranked #1,618 among boys in the United States, with 105 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for boys in 1881; its largest annual count was 15,350 in 1964. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.