NameCensus.

UK surname

Readman

An occupational surname derived from the Old English word 'rædan,' meaning to read or advise.

In the 1881 census there were 730 people recorded with the Readman surname, ranking it #5,008 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,414, ranked #4,319, up from #5,008 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Whitby, Pickering and Stranton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Hambleton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Readman is 1,503 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 93.7%.

1881 census count

730

Ranked #5,008

Modern count

1,414

2016, ranked #4,319

Peak year

1999

1,503 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Readman had 730 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,008 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,414 in 2016, ranked #4,319.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,115 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Readman surname distribution map

The map shows where the Readman surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Readman surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Readman over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 343 #6,861
1861 historical 468 #5,549
1881 historical 730 #5,008
1891 historical 758 #5,257
1901 historical 950 #4,934
1911 historical 1,115 #4,170
1997 modern 1,439 #4,054
1998 modern 1,472 #4,117
1999 modern 1,503 #4,076
2000 modern 1,466 #4,138
2001 modern 1,436 #4,129
2002 modern 1,472 #4,130
2003 modern 1,442 #4,123
2004 modern 1,460 #4,084
2005 modern 1,429 #4,132
2006 modern 1,421 #4,143
2007 modern 1,423 #4,176
2008 modern 1,413 #4,227
2009 modern 1,465 #4,191
2010 modern 1,488 #4,210
2011 modern 1,477 #4,199
2012 modern 1,425 #4,242
2013 modern 1,444 #4,268
2014 modern 1,442 #4,301
2015 modern 1,426 #4,292
2016 modern 1,414 #4,319

Geography

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Where Readmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Whitby, Pickering, Stranton, Middlesborough and Lythe. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Hambleton and Scarborough. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Whitby Yorkshire, North Riding
2 Pickering Yorkshire, North Riding
3 Stranton Durham
4 Middlesborough Durham
5 Lythe Yorkshire, North Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Middlesbrough 007 Middlesbrough
2 Redcar and Cleveland 022 Redcar and Cleveland
3 Hambleton 001 Hambleton
4 Scarborough 002 Scarborough
5 Redcar and Cleveland 016 Redcar and Cleveland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Readman

These lists show first names that appear often with the Readman surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Readman

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Readman, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Readman surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Readman household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Readman is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Readman is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Readman falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Readman is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Readman, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Readman

The surname Readman originated in England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "read" and "mann," meaning "red man" or "ruddy man." This may have been a descriptive name given to someone with a reddish complexion or possibly red hair.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a William Redeman. The Readman surname was also present in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, indicating its presence in that region during the medieval period.

The name appears to have been particularly concentrated in the northern counties of England, such as Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland. In these areas, variations of the spelling included Reedman, Redman, and Reademan.

A notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Readman, a wealthy merchant and alderman from York who lived in the late 14th century. He served as the Lord Mayor of York in 1391 and was involved in various trade and civic affairs.

Another prominent figure was Robert Readman, a Catholic priest and martyr who was executed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1586 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I for his religious beliefs. He is regarded as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales by the Catholic Church.

In the 17th century, a family of Readmans owned lands and properties in the village of Simonburn in Northumberland. One member, Thomas Readman, was born in 1625 and served as a Justice of the Peace for the county.

The name Readman has also been associated with certain place names, such as Readman's Lees in Lancashire, which may have derived from an early landowner or resident with the surname.

Other notable individuals with the Readman surname include John Readman (1768-1837), a prominent English architect and surveyor known for his work on the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle; and William Readman (1885-1965), a British trade unionist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Rother Valley from 1945 to 1950.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Readman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Readman surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 491 Readmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.04x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 491 7.04x
Durham 93 4.44x
Lincolnshire 23 2.04x
Bedfordshire 20 5.48x
Lanarkshire 19 0.83x
Roxburghshire 8 6.27x
Derbyshire 7 0.63x
Berwickshire 6 7.03x
Lancashire 6 0.07x
Middlesex 6 0.09x
Northamptonshire 6 0.91x
Surrey 6 0.17x
Dunbartonshire 5 2.64x
Buckinghamshire 4 0.94x
Cheshire 4 0.26x
Midlothian 4 0.42x
Northumberland 4 0.38x
Sussex 3 0.25x
Selkirkshire 2 3.14x
Buteshire 1 2.34x
Hampshire 1 0.07x
Kent 1 0.04x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.11x
Oxfordshire 1 0.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Whitby in Yorkshire leads with 86 Readmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 365.65x.

Place Total Index
Whitby 86 365.65x
Egton 72 2352.94x
Ruswarp 34 438.14x
Stockton On Tees 24 23.76x
Kirkleatham 19 201.70x
Ormesby 19 101.28x
Stranton 19 26.94x
Glaisdale 18 676.69x
Aislaby In Whitby 16 1975.31x
Eskdaleside 16 466.47x
Danby 14 496.45x
Goathland 14 1129.03x
Thornaby 13 49.85x
Hinderwell 12 201.34x
Middlesbrough 12 13.20x
Great Grimsby 10 13.99x
Guisbrough 10 65.57x
Lofthouse 10 95.97x
Govan 9 1.60x
Harwood Dale 9 1730.77x
Lynesack Softley 9 159.01x
Wilton In Guisbrough 9 288.46x
Ancrum 8 241.69x
Fylingdales 8 229.89x
Linthorpe 8 19.21x
Witton Le Wear 8 134.68x
Eston 7 46.05x
Middleton In Pickering 7 1014.49x
Normanton 7 75.19x
Northallerton 7 78.56x
Yedingham 7 2121.21x
Bedford St Cuthbert 6 185.19x
Billingham 6 166.21x
Bishopwearmouth 6 3.34x
Blantyre 6 25.31x
Easington In Guisbrough 6 387.10x
Lauder 6 127.39x
Lidlington 6 377.36x
Nafferton 6 202.02x
Brightside Bierlow 5 3.65x
Clee With Weelsby 5 20.28x
Holy Trinity 5 2.98x
New Kilpatrick 5 27.78x
Pickering Kingthorpe 5 632.91x
St Giles 5 38.23x
Barlby 4 322.58x
Birkenhead 4 3.23x
Brotton 4 43.91x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 4 1.05x
Lambeth 4 0.65x
Orlingbury 4 579.71x
Roxby 4 888.89x
Whitworth 4 26.08x
Arundel 3 45.11x
Barony 3 0.52x
Ebberston 3 209.79x
Esh 3 19.67x
Heworth 3 7.27x
Quarrington 3 379.75x
Rosedale East Side 3 315.79x
Spotland 3 3.23x
Tydd St Mary 3 133.93x
Waltham 3 167.60x
Boulmer Seaton House 2 370.37x
Bradford 2 1.18x
Brompton In Scarborough 2 120.48x
Houghton Conquest 2 133.33x
Kildale 2 294.12x
Marston Moretaine 2 70.42x
Selkirk 2 11.14x
Ugglebarnby 2 212.77x
Ugthorpe 2 338.98x
Wavendon 2 84.75x
Yardley Gobion 2 140.85x
Beckenham 1 3.18x
Kensington London 1 0.26x
Market Weighton Arras 1 22.08x
Normanby In 1 5.36x
Sutton St Mary 1 9.39x
Westminster St James 1 1.38x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Readman surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 64
Jane 32
Elizabeth 25
Sarah 24
Ann 21
Hannah 17
Margaret 13
Annie 9
Eliza 8
Emma 8
Edith 7
Alice 5
Ellen 5
Anna 4
Emily 4
Harriet 4
Isabella 3
Maria 3
Rebecca 3
Ada 2
Amelia 2
Anne 2
Charlotte 2
Dinah 2
Fanny 2
Kate 2
Lizzie 2
Margt. 2
Martha 2
Phoebe 2
Susannah 2
Amy 1
Annabella 1
Beatrice 1
Blanche 1
Christiana 1
Cicily 1
Elizth.Maude 1
Esabella 1
Esther 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Jemima 1
Jessie 1
Katherine 1
Lillian 1
Lousia 1
Lucy 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Readman surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 69
William 55
Thomas 31
George 27
James 24
Joseph 24
Henry 13
Francis 12
Matthew 8
Charles 7
Robert 7
Richard 5
Albert 4
Andrew 4
Tom 4
Edward 3
Wm. 3
Alfred 2
Arthur 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
Gilbert 2
Joshua 2
Thos. 2
Walter 2
Daniel 1
David 1
Edwin 1
Fredrick 1
Granville 1
Harland 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Hezekiah 1
Isaac 1
Jackson 1
Jane 1
Job 1
Luke 1
Martin 1
Nesbette 1
Neswell 1
Ralph 1
Rt. 1
Samuel 1
Stanley 1
Tim 1
Yeoman 1

FAQ

Readman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Readman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 730 people were recorded with the Readman surname. That placed it at #5,008 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Readman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,414 in 2016. That gives Readman a modern rank of #4,319.

What does the Readman surname mean?

An occupational surname derived from the Old English word 'rædan,' meaning to read or advise.

What does the Readman map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Readman bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.