Rodan is a surname of several origins. One origin is as a variant of Roden, which may be of English, Irish, German or Swedish origin. As an English surname, it is a toponymic from Roden, Shropshire, which takes its name from the River Roden, meaning 'swift or rushing river'. As an Irish surname, it is a cognate of Redding, an Anglicization of Gaelic Ó Rodáin. As a German surname, it is a variant of Rode, which is a shortened form of several ancient personal names beginning with the element hrōd, meaning 'renown', and as a Swedish surname is ornamental or an unexplained toponymic.
It may also be a surname of Catalan origin, from Rodés, a toponymic surname, or of Galician and Portuguese origin as a toponymic or metonymic occupational surname, from roda, meaning 'wheel'.
It may also be a surname of Hebrew origin.
Notable people with the surname include:
David Rodan (born 1983), Australian rules football player Garry Rodan, Australian academic Gideon Rodan (1934–2006), Romanian-born American biochemist Joseph Rodan (born 1951), Fijian sprinter Katie Rodan (born 1955/56), American dermatologist, entrepreneur and author Mendi Rodan (1929–2009), Israeli conductor and educator Robert Rodan (1939–2021), American actor Steve Rodan (born 1954), Manx politician
See also Rodan (disambiguation), other uses of the word