REDING
Origin and meaning of the surname originates in Anglo‑Saxon England. It is derived from the Old English word hrēod, which means “reed”, and the suffix -ing which indicates “descendant of” or “son of”. Thus the name was initially employed as a topographic or occupational surname for a person who lived or worked near a reed bed.
In another tradition, the name is linked to the Old English word read meaning “red”. This is the origin of the byname Readingas, the people of “Read(a)”, which was applied to those with auburn hair or a ruddy complexion. Consequently, Reding can also be seen as a variant of the more familiar surname Reading, itself a locational name from the parish and town of Reading in Berkshire. The Anglo‑Saxon Chronicle records the place name as Readingum in 872 and the Domesday Book of 1086 records it as Reddinges.
Early examples of the surname include Richard del Ryding of Yorkshire in 1277, Henry de Reding, rector of Matlask in Norfolk in 1305, and the earliest recorded spelling as Grifin del Ruding in the “Assize Court Rolls of Lancashire” in 1246.
During the seventeenth century a notable member was James Redding, aged 19, who embarked from London on the ship “Bonaventure” bound for Virginia in January 1634. In the nineteenth century the name was borne by the journalist and bookmaker Cyrus Redding (1785–1870).
In the Germanic context, the surname Reding is derived from the Middle High German name Rodung, an occupational surname meaning forest clearing. It also arises from the German word Reden, meaning “to speak”, and was originally used for a person fond of long conversations or involved in public speaking. The earliest documented instance of Reding in Germany cites a knight named Gotzon Reding in the fourteenth century in Hessen. The name spread across Europe through German emigration and is now most common in Germany, particularly in Rhineland‑Palatinate, as well as in Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and among German communities in the United States, such as Pennsylvania and Ohio.
In contemporary statistics, Reding ranks within the top 2000 surnames in Rhineland‑Palatinate, with approximately 2472 bearers in Germany. In the United States, the 2000 Census recorded the name in more than 901 households, the largest concentration being in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Variant spellings are common, including Redinge, Reddinge, Reddings, Redding, Reddinge, Reddingg, Rhedding, Ridings, Ridigs, Riddinge, Ridino, Ridaks, Chryssler, Chrystler, Kraft and the Dutch Reeding and Spanish Redin. In the United States variations such as Redden, Reedgen and Ridings are also found.
Thus the surname Reding reflects distinct yet parallel histories in England and Germany, each rooted in the landscape or in communication, and it continues to be borne by individuals across Europe and North America.
Typical given names associated with the Reding surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- Frank
- John
- Michael
- Nicholas
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Thomas
Female
- Angela
- Ann
- Catherine
- Deborah
- Elizabeth
- Elsie
- Emma
- Gillian
- Holly
- Victoria
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 Reding in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 152 people named Reding in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around two in a million people in Britain are named Reding.
Famous people named Reding
- Nick Reding - Actor
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.