REDFERN
The surname Redfern is of strictly English origin, arising in the British Isles from a locative construction that identified descendants of those who dwelt near a specific place named for its natural vegetation.
Its etymology derives from the Old English words read meaning “red” and ferne meaning “fern” or “bracken”. The name therefore originally signified a locale in which red ferns or similarly pigmented foliage were abundant, a descriptor that would have been readily recognisable to those who travelled from one settlement to another in the medieval period.
The most widely accepted locus is the village of Redfern situated in the county of Lancashire, on the outskirts of the town of Rochdale. The surname is thus a “from” name, applied to individuals who departed that village and settled elsewhere. Variants of the spelling that occur in historical records include Redfearn and Redferne, all of which are understood to represent the same underlying place‑based origin.
Earliest documentary evidence of bearers of the name can be traced to the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The probate register of the year 1604 records a William Midleton, husband of Alice Redfearne, who married there on 5 July 1590 at St. Mary Magdalene, Bermondsey, London. The Wills Register of Chester contains a mention of James Redfearn of Redfern in 1604, and a further entry for Edmund Redfearn of the parish of Rochdale appears in the same register in 1616. A Thomas Redferne is recorded as witness to the christening of his son Humphrie in 1567 at St. Giles Cripplegate, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In subsequent centuries, individuals bearing the name achieved distinction in a range of fields. James Frank Redfern (1838–1876) was a sculptor who produced ecclesiastical work and whose pieces were exhibited by the Royal Academy from 1859 onward. John Redfern, a famine emigrant aged twenty, departed Liverpool for New York on the ship Ottawa on 12 May 1846, illustrating the historic pattern of overseas migration associated with the surname.
Over time the surname has dispersed beyond the confines of Lancashire, spreading throughout England and eventually into other English‑speaking nations. The name remains common in modern records and is recognised as a clear example of an English locational surname of linguistic and historic significance.
Typical given names associated with the Redfern surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Thomas
Female
- Alison
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Jane
- Julie
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Nicola
- 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 Redfern in...
Braille
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Morse
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Redfern are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Biscoff.
There are approximately 7,623 people named Redfern in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,236th most common surname in Britain. Around 117 in a million people in Britain are named Redfern.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Redfern
- Anthea Redfern - Television hostess
- Jamie Redfern - Australian singer
- Alastair Redfern - Bishop of Derby; Bishop of Grantham
- David Redfern - Photographer (1936 to 2014)
- Sue Redfern - Cricketer
- Jimmy Redfern - Football player
- Dan Redfern - Cricketer
- Levi Redfern - Football player (1905 to 1976)
- Rebecca Redfern - Swimmer
- Bob Redfern - Football player (1918 to 2002)
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.