NameCensus.

UK surname

Reardon

A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Ríoghbhardáin," meaning "descendant of Ríoghbhardán" (royal poet).

In the 1881 census there were 1,301 people recorded with the Reardon surname, ranking it #3,147 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,101, ranked #3,078, up from #3,147 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Blaenau Gwent, Cornwall and Pembrokeshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Reardon is 2,200 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 61.5%.

1881 census count

1,301

Ranked #3,147

Modern count

2,101

2016, ranked #3,078

Peak year

2010

2,200 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Reardon had 1,301 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,147 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,101 in 2016, ranked #3,078.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,424 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Reardon surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Reardon surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Reardon 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 513 #4,877
1861 historical 587 #4,504
1881 historical 1,301 #3,147
1891 historical 1,195 #3,585
1901 historical 1,387 #3,626
1911 historical 1,424 #3,393
1997 modern 2,028 #3,025
1998 modern 2,126 #3,006
1999 modern 2,168 #2,978
2000 modern 2,113 #3,027
2001 modern 2,115 #2,967
2002 modern 2,179 #2,944
2003 modern 2,114 #2,966
2004 modern 2,098 #2,983
2005 modern 2,078 #2,970
2006 modern 2,078 #2,980
2007 modern 2,089 #2,995
2008 modern 2,117 #2,984
2009 modern 2,194 #2,954
2010 modern 2,200 #3,012
2011 modern 2,175 #3,006
2012 modern 2,120 #3,018
2013 modern 2,131 #3,058
2014 modern 2,150 #3,059
2015 modern 2,119 #3,070
2016 modern 2,101 #3,078

Geography

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Where Reardons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), London parishes, St Pancras and St Marylebone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Blaenau Gwent, Cornwall, Pembrokeshire, West Lancashire and Newport. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 St Marylebone London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Blaenau Gwent 006 Blaenau Gwent
2 Cornwall 057 Cornwall
3 Pembrokeshire 014 Pembrokeshire
4 West Lancashire 012 West Lancashire
5 Newport 017 Newport

Forenames

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First names often paired with Reardon

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Reardon

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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Reardon surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Reardon household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Reardon is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Reardon is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Reardon falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Reardon 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 Reardon, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Reardon

The surname Reardon is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic name O'Riordain, which means 'descendant of the ruddy one' or 'son of the red-haired man'. The name was prominent in County Cork and County Kerry, particularly in the baronies of Duhallow and West Muskerry.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I, where it appeared as O'Riordane in the year 1599. Other early variations included O'Riordyn, O'Reyredane, and Ryerdon. The name was also recorded in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1665, which were tax records for County Cork.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Donough Reardon, who was a member of the Irish Parliament for the constituency of Doneraile in County Cork in the late 17th century. Another notable figure was Reverend John Reardon, who was born in County Cork in 1713 and served as the vicar of Kilkenny and the Dean of Ferns in the Church of Ireland.

In the 18th century, the name Reardon was associated with the village of Castletownroche in County Cork, which was once known as Reardon's Town or Reardanstown. There was also a Reardon's Castle in the nearby town of Killavullen, which belonged to a branch of the Reardon family.

During the 19th century, several members of the Reardon family made their mark in various fields. Patrick Reardon (1823-1893) was a prominent Irish Nationalist and Member of Parliament for the constituency of East Cork. His cousin, James Reardon (1830-1897), was a renowned lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.

Another notable figure was Timothy Reardon (1828-1904), who was a Catholic priest and educator. He founded the Christian Brothers' School in Tralee, County Kerry, and was instrumental in the establishment of several other schools in the region. Meanwhile, John Reardon (1860-1933) was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Dublin, including the National Library of Ireland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Reardon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Reardon 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. Middlesex leads with 425 Reardons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.32x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 425 3.32x
Lancashire 137 0.90x
Glamorgan 116 5.21x
Surrey 111 1.78x
Monmouthshire 108 11.67x
Kent 67 1.53x
Yorkshire 51 0.40x
Devon 33 1.24x
Durham 31 0.81x
Essex 29 1.15x
Cheshire 25 0.88x
Cornwall 23 1.59x
Hampshire 16 0.61x
Warwickshire 14 0.43x
Gloucestershire 11 0.44x
Lanarkshire 11 0.27x
Midlothian 11 0.64x
Royal Navy 10 6.56x
Wiltshire 9 0.80x
Northumberland 8 0.42x
Suffolk 8 0.51x
Staffordshire 7 0.16x
Somerset 6 0.29x
Derbyshire 5 0.25x
Channel Islands 4 1.05x
Hertfordshire 4 0.45x
Berkshire 3 0.31x
Brecknockshire 3 1.17x
Cumberland 3 0.27x
Herefordshire 3 0.57x
Oxfordshire 3 0.38x
Morayshire 2 1.01x
Selkirkshire 2 1.73x
Shropshire 2 0.18x
Sussex 2 0.09x
Worcestershire 2 0.12x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.13x
Leicestershire 1 0.07x
Lincolnshire 1 0.05x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.25x
Roxburghshire 1 0.43x
West Lothian 1 0.52x
Westmorland 1 0.36x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 56 Reardons recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.07x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 56 6.07x
St Marylebone London 46 6.73x
St Pancras London 46 4.47x
Merthyr Tydfil 30 14.01x
St Woollos 25 24.21x
Trevethin 24 27.47x
Clerkenwell London 23 7.61x
St George In East 23 26.42x
Llantwit Vairdre 22 87.82x
Upper Llanvrechva 22 153.10x
Madron Penzance 21 39.86x
Gelligaer 20 39.30x
Leeds 20 2.79x
Whitechapel London 20 15.85x
Everton 19 3.93x
St Botolph Aldgate 19 108.76x
St Giles In Fields 18 40.78x
Kensington London 17 2.39x
Newington 17 3.60x
Camberwell 16 1.96x
Islington London 15 1.21x
Bedwellty 14 8.57x
Croydon 14 4.04x
Shoreditch London 14 2.52x
West Ham 14 2.51x
Plymouth St Andrew 13 6.33x
Milton In Gravesend 12 18.33x
St Mary Le Strand 12 294.84x
Aston 11 1.24x
Bermondsey 11 2.89x
Cardiff St Mary 11 8.96x
Chelsea London 11 2.85x
Deptford St Paul 11 3.27x
Govan 11 1.07x
Greenwich 11 5.40x
Lambeth 11 0.99x
Tottenham 11 5.40x
Westminster St James 11 8.36x
Caerleon 10 207.04x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 10 1.45x
Framwellgate 10 44.33x
Manchester 10 1.46x
Royal Navy 10 7.67x
Spitalfields London 10 10.39x
East Ham 9 19.20x
Llanwonno 9 11.24x
Shadwell London 9 25.13x
Southwark St George Martyr 9 3.49x
Swindon 9 10.25x
Westminster St John 9 5.77x
Acton 8 10.66x
Holdenhurst 8 11.63x
Toxteth Park 8 1.56x
Bishopwearmouth 7 2.14x
Bromley London 7 2.49x
Chester St Oswald 7 13.68x
Eston 7 25.34x
Great Crosby 7 16.91x
Mile End Old Town 7 3.47x
Roath 7 6.92x
Southwark St John 7 17.88x
St George Hanover 7 4.19x
Stoke Damerel 7 3.75x
Widnes 7 6.39x
Woolwich 7 4.34x
Aberdare 6 3.92x
Aberystruth 6 7.36x
Birkenhead 6 2.66x
Hackney London 6 0.84x
Helmington Row 6 33.84x
Salford 6 1.34x
St George Martyr 6 27.82x
Bethnal Green London 5 0.90x
Chester St John Baptist 5 9.85x
Mile End New Town 5 28.60x
Minster In Sheppey 5 6.91x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 5 19.97x
Newport 5 11.33x
Putney 5 8.57x
Tipton 5 3.78x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 150
Ellen 64
Margaret 50
Catherine 40
Elizabeth 31
Bridget 23
Kate 20
Annie 19
Ann 18
Hannah 16
Julia 15
Eliza 13
Emma 13
Jane 13
Alice 12
Sarah 10
Anne 6
Amelia 5
Emily 5
Johanna 5
Margt. 5
Jessie 4
Katherine 4
Louisa 4
M. 4
Norah 4
Agnes 3
Anna 3
Edith 3
Helen 3
Honora 3
Louise 3
Martha 3
Rose 3
Susan 3
Barbara 2
Catharine 2
Cathrine 2
E. 2
Eleanor 2
Honorah 2
Joanna 2
Maggie 2
Margret 2
Nora 2
Winifred 2
Bidelia 1
Elisa 1
Elisabeth 1
Eliz. 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 133
William 50
Daniel 44
James 40
Patrick 37
Thomas 33
Michael 31
Timothy 19
Edward 18
Cornelius 14
Joseph 14
George 13
Dennis 12
Jeremiah 11
Charles 9
Denis 8
Owen 7
Peter 7
Robert 6
Frank 5
Henry 5
Simon 5
Stephen 5
Arthur 4
David 4
Richard 4
Francis 3
Harry 3
Mike 3
Morris 3
Sidney 3
Andrew 2
Dan 2
Danl. 2
Edmund 2
Edwin 2
Eugene 2
Frederick 2
Fredk. 2
Matthew 2
Timy 2
Willm. 2
Wm. 2
Corneleus 1
D. 1
Edwd. 1
Elizabeth 1
Ernest 1
Mark 1
Mary 1

FAQ

Reardon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Reardon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,301 people were recorded with the Reardon surname. That placed it at #3,147 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Reardon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,101 in 2016. That gives Reardon a modern rank of #3,078.

What does the Reardon surname mean?

A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Ríoghbhardáin," meaning "descendant of Ríoghbhardán" (royal poet).

What does the Reardon map show?

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