REARDON
Reardon is an Irish surname of ancient provenance, evident in medieval manuscripts under forms such as Ó Riordáin, Ó Riogbhardain, and O'Riordan. The prefix Ó denotes a patronymic relation, meaning “descendant of”, while the root Riordáin derives from the personal name Riocard, the Gaelic form of Richard, or from rí and rígh, meaning “king” or “royal”. Consequently the surname can be understood as “descendant of the royal one” or “descendant of the little king”, implying a lineage of some status within early Irish society.
The earliest known use of the name is found in County Cork, a region in the south of Ireland, where it remains common today. Other counties with significant bearers include Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary. The surname is deliberately associated with the ancient kingdom of Munster, and the sept of O'Riordan originates from County Tipperary but migrated to County Cork in the early modern period, where it now predominates.
Variations in spelling arose with the anglicisation of Gaelic names. Common alternative forms have included Riordan, Rearden, Rearden and Rearden. Minor variants such as Reedon, Reddan and Redden are also recorded. The multiplicity of spellings, while complicating genealogical research, reflects the linguistic evolution of the name across English‑speaking communities.
The distribution of the surname extends beyond Ireland. In the United States the name appears at a lower frequency, representing 0.002 % of the population in the 2010 Census, with a concentration in the New England states of Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania. In Canada, Australia and parts of Europe, Reardons are present in accordance with historical patterns of Irish emigration during the 17th to 19th centuries.
Historical records point to the presence of the name in the West Indies as early as the 17th century; the first documented spelling in Barbados is that of Dinis Reardon in a census return dated 1678, during the reign of King Charles I. In Britain, notable entries include the marriage of Daniel Reardon and Ann Kelly in St. Mildred Poultry with St. Mary Colechurch, London, on 14 July 1799, and the birth of a daughter to Michael Reardon and Ann Leamy at Kinsale, County Cork, on 10 April 1864.
Military and historical figures bearing the surname were noted in medieval documents, reflecting an involvement in the social and military affairs of their constituencies. The sept of O'Riordan particularly held roles such as royal bard, a cultural profession of high esteem, indicated by the Gaelic term Rioghbhard meaning “royal bard.”
Today the surname maintains a solid presence in the modern UK, especially in England, Scotland and Wales, where it is identified as a distinct Irish clan that migrated during the turbulence of the 17th and 18th centuries. Its survival and diffusion across the Commonwealth attest to the enduring connections between Irish heritage and the wider English‑speaking world.
Research into the name relies on a range of archival sources, including parish registers, census returns and medieval manuscripts. The consistency of the Ó Riordáin root across these sources provides a reliable foundation for genealogical investigation, though the variety of orthographic renditions requires careful comparison of records when tracing family lines.
Typical given names associated with the Reardon surname
Male
- Christopher
- Daniel
- David
- James
- John
- Kevin
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
Female
- Alison
- Elizabeth
- Gillian
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Jennifer
- Kathleen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
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 Reardon in...
Braille
⠗⠑⠁⠗⠙⠕⠝
Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 3,256 people named Reardon in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,792nd most common surname in Britain. Around 50 in a million people in Britain are named Reardon.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Reardon
- Ray Reardon - Welsh snooker player
- Stuart Reardon - Rugby league player
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.