READE
Reade is a surname of English origin that has been recorded in various forms across the British Isles. Its earliest attestation appears in the early eleventh century, for example with the name Leofwine Reade documented between 1016 and 1020, during the reign of King Ethelred the Unready.
The name has several proposed derivations. One explanation is that it is a nickname derived from the Middle English word red, which itself comes from the Old English read meaning “red”. Such nicknames were common in medieval England, often applied to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion. A second possibility is that the surname originates from the Old English raed, meaning “counsel” or “advice”, suggesting an association with a wise or advisory individual. A third hypothesis proposes a topographical origin: the name may have been given to someone living in a woodland clearing, from the Old English ried or ryd, or a locational origin from any of the places known as Read, Rede or Reed throughout England.
Historical records attest to the surname’s long presence. Hugo le Rede is recorded in 1220, while Hamo le Reed appears in the 1296 Subsidy Rolls of Sussex. Church registers provide further evidence: Barsabe Reede was christened on 2 May 1548 in St. Dionis Backchurch, London, and James Reed was christened on 16 June 1605 in St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London. In the nineteenth century, a family member, Mary Reed, aged 17, emigrated from Liverpool aboard the Devonshire to New York on 10 April 1846.
The heraldry associated with the family consists of a gules field bearing a saltire ore between four garb's ore, with a crest of an oak tree stump from which an eagle rises. This coat of arms has been granted to the Reade line of the family.
Variants of the surname are numerous. The most common spellings include Reede, Reide, and Reed. Less frequent forms are Rede, Readey, Reidy, and Reedy. Other related surnames derived from the same root are Reid, Read, Readey, and Reedy, which have often been used interchangeably over the centuries.
In terms of geographic distribution, the surname Reade remains most concentrated in the United Kingdom, with significant numbers in Lancashire, London, Devon, Somerset, and Norfolk. The 1881 British Census records its presence in almost every parish across England, and it is markedly less common in Scotland, except for pockets in Aberdeen and Perthshire. Beyond the United Kingdom, the name can be found in former colonies of the British Empire, notably the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, reflecting patterns of migration from Britain during the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. It is also recorded in South Africa and India, although these occurrences frequently arise from Scottish or mixed ancestry rather than directly from England.
Overall, the Reade surname illustrates typical medieval English naming practices – deriving from personal characteristics, occupations, or places of residence – and has evolved through a range of spellings while maintaining a clear lineage that extends back to the early medieval period.
Typical given names associated with the Reade surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- Brian
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Jonathan
- Michael
- Paul
- Philip
- Stephen
Female
- Amanda
- Barbara
- Christine
- Dawn
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Linda
- Margaret
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Shirley
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Raad
- Raade
- Rad
- Rada
- Radd
- Radde
- Rade
- Rades
- Radey
- Radi
- Radia
- Radie
- Rado
- Radu
- Radue
- Raed
- Raid
- Raida
- Raidi
- Raido
- Rait
- Raitt
- Rate
- Rattu
- Read
- Readdie
- Readdy
- Readel
- Readen
- Reader
- Reades
- Readey
- Readie
- Reado
- Reads
- Readus
- Ready
- Red
- Reda
- Redae
- Redah
- Reday
- Redda
- Reddey
- Reddi
- Reddie
- Rede
- Redei
- Reder
- Redew
- Redey
- Redi
- Redie
- Redo
- Redw
- Redy
- Reead
- Reed
- Reede
- Reeder
- Reedes
- Reedie
- Reeds
- Reedy
- Reeid
- Reiad
- Reid
- Reide
- Reidie
- Reids
- Reyad
- Rhead
- Rheade
- Rheid
- Ride
- Riede
- Riedi
- Riedo
- Rodd
- Root
- Rout
- Rudd
- Rutt
- Ryde
- Wrede
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Reade in...
Braille
⠗⠑⠁⠙⠑
Morse
.-...--...
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,883 people named Reade in the UK. That makes it roughly the 4,421st most common surname in Britain. Around 29 in a million people in Britain are named Reade.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Reade
- Charles Reade - Writer (1814 to 1884)
- Brian Reade - Journalist
- Shanaze Reade - Bicycle motocross rider and track cyclist
- Peter Reade - Olympic sailor
- Thomas Reade - Army officer and consul in Tunis (1782 to 1849)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.