READMAN
The surname Readman is of English origin. It is recorded as early as the thirteenth century and remains a recognizable surname in the United Kingdom.
Origins and meanings are derived from several Middle English terms. One source identifies redeman as meaning “counselor” or “adviser”, suggesting an occupational surname for an individual who provided guidance to his community. Another tradition links the name to the occupation of a reed‑thatcher; the derivation is from Old English hreod “reed”, with the agent suffix -er indicating a person employed in that craft. A third perspective regards the name as patronymic, based on the Anglo‑Saxon personal name Redman – a combination of read “red” and mann “man” – applied as a nickname to a man with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
Early documentary evidence confirms the existence of the name in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, where Adam le Redere is recorded in 1273 during the reign of King Edward I. The name appears again in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1279, where Symon le Redere is listed. In 1420, William Redere is identified as rector of Baldswell in Norfolk. A 1512 record notes the burial of John King reder in the churchyard of St Vaste, who contributed twenty shillings towards the building of St Vaste’s new porch. By 1533, the Corpus Christi Guild Procession in Norwich included the Reders, Thaxters and Rede‑sellers, indicating a community of craftsmen and tradesmen.
Variation of spelling has been common. The modern trio of surnames – Reader, Reeder and Reder – all stem from the same root and are now recognised as legitimate variants. A notable 1568 marriage record documents John Reeder and Grace Edwardis at St. Margaret's in Westminster. The heraldic arms granted to the Reeder family are described as: Ermine, on a fess azure a leopard's face between two crescents or. Crest: A leopard's head azure, collared or.
Geographically, the surname has concentrated particularly in the eastern counties of England. The United Kingdom Census lists Readman as the 39,436th most common surname nationwide. Suffolk, especially the historic town of Ipswich, hosts the largest number of bearers. The name also appears in neighbouring counties such as Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Surrey and Kent, with occasional occurrences as far north as Lancashire and Yorkshire.
Across the Atlantic, the name Readman travelled with 19th‑century immigrants to North America. Census records in the United States and Canada document a continuing presence, with the spelling remaining largely unchanged. Variants such as Reedman and Reedmann are also found in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, though these represent separate genealogical lines rather than simple orthographic differences.
In summary, Readman is a surname with deep roots in English history. Its evolution reflects a range of occupational, patronymic and regional influences, and it has endured through centuries of social change, maintaining a presence both within the United Kingdom and abroad.
Typical given names associated with the Readman surname
Male
- Andrew
- Antony
- David
- Ian
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Claire
- Dorothy
- Janet
- Jennifer
- Joan
- Julie
- Kathryn
- Margaret
- Mary
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Tracy
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Readman in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 1,752 people named Readman in the UK. That makes it roughly the 4,691st most common surname in Britain. Around 27 in a million people in Britain are named Readman.
Famous people named Readman
- David Readman - Singer
- Joe Readman - Football player (1901 to 1)
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.