Rudyard
About Rudyard
Often thought of as a one-peson name because of Jungle Book writer Kipling, this was actually his middle name. He was middle-named for Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire, the beauty of which inspired his parents to reference it in their first child's name. Trivia tidbit: Actress Kim Raver gave her son Leo the middle name of Kipling.
Rudyard Kipling's first name was actually Joseph. There were fewer than five baby boys given the name Rudyard in the US in 2021, making it a truly unique name.
Pronounced RUD-yard.
As of October 2026, Rudyard ranked #7721 in US births in 1989 SSA, peaked at #2861 in 1914.
Editor: Pamela Redmond
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | — | 0 | 0 |
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Rudyard on lists
Famous Rudyards
- Joseph Rudyard Kipling
English poet and novelist
Rudyard in pop culture
- Rudyard Funn
protaganist of the podcast 'Wooden Overcoats'.