NameCensus.

UK surname

Ready

Derived from the Old English word "read," meaning "red," likely referring to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.

In the 1881 census there were 752 people recorded with the Ready surname, ranking it #4,902 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 717, ranked #7,575, down from #4,902 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Sudbury All Saints, Sudbury St Gregory, Sudbury St Peter, Sudbury St Bartholomew. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Norfolk, Wyre Forest and Sefton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ready is 764 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 4.7%.

1881 census count

752

Ranked #4,902

Modern count

717

2016, ranked #7,575

Peak year

1998

764 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ready had 752 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,902 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 717 in 2016, ranked #7,575.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 752 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Ready surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ready surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ready 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 524 #4,784
1861 historical 527 #4,979
1881 historical 752 #4,902
1891 historical 698 #5,614
1901 historical 702 #6,274
1911 historical 701 #6,076
1997 modern 757 #6,829
1998 modern 764 #6,999
1999 modern 762 #7,057
2000 modern 747 #7,124
2001 modern 722 #7,182
2002 modern 737 #7,206
2003 modern 704 #7,357
2004 modern 697 #7,426
2005 modern 685 #7,480
2006 modern 676 #7,576
2007 modern 692 #7,491
2008 modern 704 #7,450
2009 modern 717 #7,508
2010 modern 731 #7,524
2011 modern 721 #7,521
2012 modern 728 #7,393
2013 modern 752 #7,327
2014 modern 750 #7,378
2015 modern 729 #7,492
2016 modern 717 #7,575

Geography

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Where Readys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Sudbury All Saints, Sudbury St Gregory, Sudbury St Peter, Sudbury St Bartholomew and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Norfolk, Wyre Forest, Sefton, Powys and Liverpool. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Sudbury All Saints, Sudbury St Gregory, Sudbury St Peter, Sudbury St Bartholomew Suffolk
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Norfolk 015 South Norfolk
2 Wyre Forest 013 Wyre Forest
3 Sefton 023 Sefton
4 Powys 021 Powys
5 Liverpool 004 Liverpool

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ready

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ready

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Ready, 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

Established but Challenged

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Ready is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ready 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

Ready 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 Ready is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Ready

The surname Ready is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "ræde" which means "counsel" or "advice". It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical records and manuscripts from the Middle Ages. For example, the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273 mentions a William le Redye, indicating the surname's presence in that region during that time period.

The name Ready is likely an occupational surname, referring to individuals who were known for their wisdom and ability to provide counsel or advice to others. It may have been given to advisors, counselors, or even village elders who were sought out for their guidance.

In the late 16th century, the name appeared in the records of the parish of St. Mary Arches in Exeter, Devon, with the baptism of a child named John Ready in 1592. This suggests the surname was well-established in the Devon area by that point.

One notable bearer of the Ready surname was Sir Samuel Ready (1623-1693), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Tiverton in Devon during the late 17th century.

Another individual of historical significance was John Ready (1790-1859), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the former headquarters of the London Fire Brigade on Southwark Bridge Road.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Ready surname is Thomas Ready, who was born in Virginia in 1695 and later settled in Maryland.

Other notable individuals with the Ready surname include James Ready (1803-1877), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Ready School of Social Work at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

William Ready (1847-1919) was a British-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Parliament of South Australia and worked to promote the rights of workers and trade unions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ready families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ready 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. Lancashire leads with 171 Readys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.97x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 171 1.97x
Middlesex 168 2.29x
Surrey 69 1.93x
Staffordshire 31 1.25x
Yorkshire 29 0.40x
Kent 28 1.12x
Cheshire 27 1.67x
Suffolk 27 3.03x
Essex 20 1.38x
Lincolnshire 20 1.71x
Norfolk 20 1.78x
Sussex 15 1.21x
Glamorgan 13 1.02x
Cambridgeshire 12 2.59x
Buckinghamshire 11 2.48x
Monmouthshire 10 1.89x
Northumberland 10 0.92x
Northamptonshire 8 1.16x
Brecknockshire 7 4.78x
Durham 7 0.32x
Warwickshire 7 0.38x
Devon 6 0.39x
Hampshire 5 0.33x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.41x
Caernarfonshire 3 1.01x
Channel Islands 3 1.38x
Derbyshire 3 0.26x
Lanarkshire 3 0.13x
Huntingdonshire 2 1.37x
Stirlingshire 2 0.74x
Bedfordshire 1 0.26x
Berkshire 1 0.18x
Dorset 1 0.21x
Gloucestershire 1 0.07x
Hertfordshire 1 0.20x
Leicestershire 1 0.12x
Midlothian 1 0.10x
Renfrewshire 1 0.18x
Royal Navy 1 1.15x
West Lothian 1 0.91x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stockport in Cheshire leads with 23 Readys recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.64x.

Place Total Index
Stockport 23 27.64x
St Pancras London 20 3.39x
Wigan 18 14.82x
Camberwell 17 3.63x
Lambeth 15 2.35x
West Ham 15 4.70x
Islington London 14 1.97x
Liverpool 14 2.65x
Oldham 14 4.99x
Paddington London 14 5.20x
West Bromwich 14 9.89x
St Botolph Aldgate 13 130.00x
Sudbury St Gregory 11 153.85x
West Derby 11 4.33x
Great Grimsby 10 13.45x
Poplar London 10 7.23x
St George Bloomsbury 10 23.79x
Kirkdale 9 6.15x
Little Woolstone 9 4500.00x
Newington 9 3.33x
Aberavon 8 68.14x
Bilston 8 16.69x
Brighton 8 3.21x
Clerkenwell London 8 4.63x
Everton 8 2.89x
Lower Booths 8 51.35x
North Shields 8 36.78x
Northampton Priory St 8 19.35x
Sudbury St Peter 8 163.60x
Bootle Cum Linacre 7 10.14x
Croydon 7 3.53x
Framwellgate 7 54.22x
Kensington London 7 1.72x
Lower Darwen 7 61.35x
Prestwich 7 32.27x
Toxteth Park 7 2.38x
Wapping London 7 125.22x
Cheetham 6 9.25x
Faversham 6 25.17x
Hammersmith London 6 3.32x
Llanvair Discoed 6 1250.00x
Mile End Old Town 6 5.19x
Ratcliffe London 6 14.83x
St Marylebone London 6 1.53x
Tettenhall 6 39.68x
Wramplingham 6 1304.35x
Brecknock St John 5 40.49x
Bromley London 5 3.10x
Burwell 5 89.93x
Clee With Weelsby 5 19.50x
Great Bolton 5 4.34x
Hickling 5 240.38x
Louth 5 18.63x
Selby 5 32.96x
Southowram 5 22.56x
Southwark St John 5 22.31x
Swansea Town 5 4.78x
Aberystruth 4 8.57x
Ashton Under Lyne 4 2.11x
Birkenhead 4 3.10x
Chelsea London 4 1.81x
Chiddingstone 4 122.32x
Crumpsall 4 19.52x
Great Little Marsden 4 10.05x
Hampstead London 4 3.51x
Hulme 4 2.20x
Leeds 4 0.98x
Litherland 4 22.00x
Lowestoft 4 9.49x
Middlesbrough 4 4.23x
Nottingham St Mary 4 1.57x
St Giles In Fields 4 15.83x
St Peter Cambridge 4 256.41x
Wymondham 4 34.72x
Bangor 3 10.50x
Derby St Alkmund 3 8.73x
Habergham Eaves 3 3.78x
Halifax 3 2.81x
Hindley 3 8.10x
Lakenham 3 18.75x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 85
Elizabeth 21
Ann 19
Catherine 17
Ellen 17
Margaret 17
Alice 14
Jane 13
Sarah 13
Bridget 10
Annie 8
Eliza 8
Hannah 8
Florence 6
Harriet 6
Ada 5
Amelia 5
Emily 5
Kate 5
Martha 5
Caroline 4
Emma 4
Julia 4
Louisa 4
Lydia 4
Agnes 3
Catharine 3
Esther 3
Matilda 3
Amy 2
Clara 2
Edith 2
Gertrude 2
Harriett 2
Isabella 2
Margret 2
Maria 2
Nellie 2
Norah 2
Rosa 2
Susanna 2
Theresa 2
Winifred 2
Carry 1
Eliz 1
Elizth. 1
Emley 1
Ethel 1
Katherine 1
Lidie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 57
William 39
James 25
Thomas 23
Patrick 20
George 19
Michael 17
Charles 14
Henry 11
Robert 8
Walter 7
Albert 5
Anthony 5
Arthur 5
David 5
Edward 5
Frederick 5
Alfred 4
Harry 4
Joseph 4
Martin 4
Peter 4
Cornelius 3
Daniel 3
Edwin 3
Ernest 3
Herbert 3
Richard 3
Andrew 2
Dennis 2
Hy. 2
Maurice 2
Micheal 2
Percy 2
Samuel 2
Wm. 2
Augustine 1
Clifford 1
Eustace 1
Felix 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Frederic 1
Fredk. 1
Llewllyn 1
Marck 1
Nicholas 1
O.George 1
Patric 1
Wm.John 1

FAQ

Ready surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ready surname in 1881?

In 1881, 752 people were recorded with the Ready surname. That placed it at #4,902 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ready surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 717 in 2016. That gives Ready a modern rank of #7,575.

What does the Ready surname mean?

Derived from the Old English word "read," meaning "red," likely referring to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.

What does the Ready map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Ready 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.