Ridley Surname

16,655th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 33,324 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Guernsey

Ridley Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Ridley,' i.e. the red ley, or meadow, from the complexion of the soil. Many small spots would be so entitled. One Ridley is now a parish in Kent Another Ridley is a township in the parish of Bunbury, Cheshire Again, a third Ridley is a township in the parish of Haltwhistle, Northumberland.

Read More About This Surname

Ridley Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States14,3161:25,3183,189
England11,1041:5,018702
Australia4,0641:6,643975
Canada1,5401:23,9263,255
New Zealand4191:10,8071,886
South Africa3741:144,86016,543
Scotland3161:16,9422,064
Wales2711:11,4191,272
Jamaica1831:15,6831,483
Guyana861:8,8631,398
Nigeria481:3,690,474107,175
Israel421:203,75319,703
France381:1,747,966156,445
United Arab Emirates371:247,62917,078
Thailand361:1,962,176235,280
Northern Ireland291:63,6224,809
Spain291:1,612,13947,760
Singapore261:211,83510,313
Guernsey221:2,929767
Germany211:3,833,593163,016
Suriname191:29,0855,642
Denmark191:297,09021,940
Ireland181:261,6089,673
Zimbabwe181:857,68057,134
Cayman Islands171:3,758489
Jersey171:5,8351,193
Papua New Guinea161:509,60763,542
Brazil151:14,271,622267,944
Argentina141:3,053,101127,728
Qatar121:196,50026,891
Malaysia121:2,457,85295,442
Sweden111:895,16066,831
Trinidad and Tobago111:123,9987,543
Netherlands101:1,688,71881,846
Belgium101:1,149,66482,403
Bahrain91:149,8455,469
Philippines71:14,462,603238,248
Hong Kong71:1,047,9264,985
Switzerland61:1,368,81977,571
Panama61:652,04310,051
Czechia51:2,126,694115,412
China51:273,464,31313,838
India41:191,766,3461,073,940
Japan31:42,614,76459,022
Afghanistan31:10,717,72835,605
Barbados31:95,8161,797
Italy31:20,385,563143,117
Russia21:72,061,528727,117
Turkey21:38,910,711171,901
Cameroon21:10,384,534165,830
Georgia21:1,872,77235,618
Croatia21:2,114,30285,143
Isle of Man21:42,9113,686
Swaziland11:1,298,1991,718
Paraguay11:7,236,74616,511
Bangladesh11:159,356,77326,077
Uganda11:39,039,279258,887
Venezuela11:30,204,07785,459
Vietnam11:92,646,0548,382
Zambia11:15,849,92253,989
Austria11:8,515,435118,036
Angola11:26,989,21411,853
Morocco11:34,476,099111,471
Ecuador11:15,905,84650,210
Guam11:160,1214,893
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Indonesia11:132,249,194811,426
Iraq11:35,021,65431,813
Malawi11:17,119,10934,144
Mauritius11:1,293,41716,552
Mexico11:124,126,205103,776
Mongolia11:2,825,28917,010
Montserrat11:4,947471
Sri Lanka11:20,808,56018,521
Namibia11:2,409,40119,676
Chile11:17,616,47493,597
Norway11:5,142,286129,201
Pakistan11:178,643,885213,220
Dominican Republic11:10,432,93236,508
Portugal11:10,418,24125,048
Saint Lucia11:178,7813,800
Saudi Arabia11:30,855,81763,028
South Korea11:51,240,2568,015
Bermuda11:65,2793,010
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland431:103,0206,511
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England5,7001:4,276639
Scotland671:55,8693,649
Wales291:54,0832,718
Jersey11:51,8823,898
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States2,8641:17,5342,235

Ridley (1,495) may also be a first name.

Ridley Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Ridley,' i.e. the red ley, or meadow, from the complexion of the soil. Many small spots would be so entitled. One Ridley is now a parish in Kent Another Ridley is a township in the parish of Bunbury, Cheshire Again, a third Ridley is a township in the parish of Haltwhistle, Northumberland.

Ricardus de Redleye, or Redlege, Essex, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Roger de Redlee, Essex, ibid.

Robert de Ridley, 20 Edward I: Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III.

John Ridley, of Chester, 1608: Wills at Chester.

1678. Married — Jonathan Ridley and Elizabeth Bywyer: St. Michael, Cornhill.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

From Ridley in Northumberland (in 1279 Rideley). Odard de Rydeley was coroner of Tyndale, 1278 (Bain, II, 147).

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(English) belonging to Ridley; or Dweller at 1 the Red Lea [Dialectal English rid(e, red; Old English réad + Middle English ley, Old English léah, a meadow] 2 the Reedy Lea [Old English hréod, a reed + léah] 3 the Thicket-Lea [Old English wrid, a thicket + leáh.] 4 the Clearing-Lea [from Dialectal English rid, to clear land (Old Norse h)ryþia) + leáh.]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(English) One who came from Ridley (cleared, or reedy, meadow), the name of several places in England.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

Places in cos. Chester, Kent, and Northumberland. The baronet's family were seated at Willimoteswick, in the last-named shire, in 1481, and there, early in the XVI. cent., was born Nicholas Ridley, the martyr-bishop. See Shirley's Noble and Gentle Men.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Or De Loges. Nicholas R., Bishop of London and martyr, was descended lineally through the Ridleys of Ridley and Willmotwick, Northumberland, from Nicholas de Redley or Ridley living 1306. His father, Odard de R., witnessed a charter in Northumberland c. 1280 (Hodgson, Northd., ii., ii.); and c. 1250 Nie. de R. (son of Thomas) executed a charter (Ib.). His grandfather, Nicholas de Wilmotswyk (a place close to Ridley), lived t. John, and was son of Odard de W., who witnessed a charter of Hexham Abbey t. Henry II. (Ibid.) He was probably brother of John Fitz-Odard, Baron of Emildon (living 1161- 1182), and son of Odard, Viscount of Northumberland, mentioned as such 1130, and in 1110 when Governor of Bamburgh. He was son of Odard de Loges, Viscount of Cumberland. See Loges.

The Norman People (1874)

Or Redleigh (English), Reed or Rush field.

Surnames (1857) by Bernard Homer Dixon

A location name in Kent.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

Ridley is an ancient and an eminent Northumbrian name. The line of baronets thus called belong to a Northumberland family that can trace its pedigree four centuries back. The name is of frequent occurrence in the lists of the parliamentary representatives and mayors of Newcastle (B.). Ridley is a township in South Tyne.

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

Ridley Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Ridley Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Ridley (Russian: Ридлей) occurs more in The United States more than any other country or territory. It may also be rendered as a variant:. Click here to see other possible spellings of this name.

How Common Is The Last Name Ridley? popularity and diffusion

The surname is the 16,655th most frequently used family name on a worldwide basis, borne by around 1 in 218,688 people. Ridley is primarily found in The Americas, where 46 percent of Ridley reside; 45 percent reside in North America and 44 percent reside in Anglo-North America. Ridley is also the 201,119th most numerous first name on earth. It is borne by 1,495 people.

The last name is most frequently held in The United States, where it is borne by 14,316 people, or 1 in 25,318. In The United States it is mostly concentrated in: Georgia, where 11 percent reside, Texas, where 8 percent reside and California, where 7 percent reside. Beside The United States this last name occurs in 83 countries. It also occurs in England, where 33 percent reside and Australia, where 12 percent reside.

Ridley Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Ridley has changed over time. In The United States the number of people who held the Ridley surname expanded 500 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it expanded 195 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it expanded 472 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it expanded 934 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it fell 58 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Ridley Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those carrying the last name is predominantly Anglican (58%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the Ridley last name are 3.9% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than the national average, with 50.67% registered with the party.

The amount Ridley earn in different countries varies greatly. In South Africa they earn 108.56% more than the national average, earning R 495,624 per year; in United States they earn 6.8% less than the national average, earning $40,215 USD per year and in Canada they earn 1.52% more than the national average, earning $50,439 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Riddley92435/
Riedley9267/
Ridlley923/
Reidley922/
Ridleyu921/
Ruidley921/
Raidley920/
Ridle91208/
Ridly9159/
Riddle8350,801/
Ridler832,864/
Riedle832,399/
Redley83558/
Rudley83310/
Reidle83208/
Ridloy8315/
Raidle839/
Ridles838/
Ridlet838/
Riddly836/
Ridlle836/
Reidly834/
Ridlay832/
Riedly832/
Ridlei832/
Ridlee831/
Riodle831/
Ridlye831/
Roidle830/
Ruidle830/
Rydley830/
Ridgeeley801/
Riddles772,066/
Riddler77387/
Reidler77267/
Ridelle77202/
Ruddley7725/
Ridless7722/
Raidler7718/
Reddley7710/
Rieddle777/
Reedley776/
Readley774/
Riddled772/
Riddlle772/
Reidlee771/
Riddlee771/
Riddlge771/
Ridlett771/
Hridler771/
Hredley771/
Reiddle770/
Ridille770/
Roidler770/
Rriddle770/
Reidele770/
Riddlie770/
Rioddle770/
Ridla73361/
Rädle73222/
Redle73173/
Redly7372/
Rédly7353/
Rudle7352/
Ridli7344/
Rydle7344/
Rüdle732/
Rideller7135/
Raidlepp7115/
Riddelle719/
Reidlead711/
Riodelle711/
Rheedley711/
Ridielly711/
Raidelle711/
Ridelles710/
Riddlles710/
Riddille710/
Ruddle672,045/
Redler671,519/
Rädler671,255/
Ridloi67191/
Reidla67185/
Raidla67169/
Readle67163/
Reedle6725/
Reddle6724/
Rédler6724/
Redlet6721/
Rydler6720/
Redles6717/
Ridlah6717/
Readly6715/
Reddly675/
Riedli674/
Ridlai674/
Riddledds672/
Redlee672/
Redlhe671/
Redlly671/
Reydelley671/
Roidli671/
Rudlly671/
Ridlaj671/
Raidli671/
Rudlie670/
Reedly670/
Raydle670/

Ridley Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Ridley in the Russian language
Ридлейridlej-

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Ridley Reference & Research

Ridley DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.

Ridley FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Ridley
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis