The municipality lies on the east side of a ridge between the Idarbach and the Siesbach in the Vorderhunsrück and borders directly on the town of Idar-Oberstein.

Hettenrodt lies on the Deutsche Edelsteinstraße (“German Gem Road”) and within both the Naturpark Saar-Hunsrück and the Wildenburg hiking area.

It is likely, however, that running over the ridge set north-south between the Idarbach and the Siesbach (two small rivers), from the Silberich towards the Steinkaulenberg (two mountains) was a Roman road.

Since the Romans used, cared for and even guarded all springs that lay near their roads, it can be assumed that at that time – about the year 1 – there was already a small settlement, or perhaps a fort, on the “Kremel”.

The name “Hettenrodt”, though, with the ending —rodt (“clearing”), shows that the village arose at the time of the third Frankish settlement period.

Professor Dr. Baldes writes in his local history of the Birkenfeld countryside: “In 1262, Ritter (roughly “Sir”) Wilhelm von Schwarzenberg had serfs there, because of whom he had disagreements with the Count of Sponheim, whose vassal he was.” Beginning in 1321, the village cropped up under the names Hettelrodt and Hettenrodt in feudal bonds of the Idarbann (a feudal domain), and shared fate with its outlying village, Idar.

The areas that could be used for cropraising were small and with their sparse soil on slopes yielded less than ample harvests, especially for big families.

Cloth and stocking making thus became prevailing livelihoods alongside agriculture among the villagers, until the important upswing brought by the gem-cutting industry in the Idar-Oberstein area in the 18th century.

In 1953, two Schwedensiedlungen (“Sweden settlements”; so-called because the wooden houses had been donated by the Swedish government) were built on the village's outskirts, and two refugee families who had been driven out of their land moved in.

After buying out the Keppler business in the village centre in 1972, the municipality had the house torn down in 1983, from whose rubble arose the shop.