NameCensus.

UK surname

Reddaway

Likely derived from a place name referring to someone from a reddish-colored area or village.

In the 1881 census there were 134 people recorded with the Reddaway surname, ranking it #16,602 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 201, ranked #19,525, down from #16,602 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Exeter City: St Edmund, Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841) and Sampford Courtney. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Devon and Teignbridge.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Reddaway is 220 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 50.0%.

1881 census count

134

Ranked #16,602

Modern count

201

2016, ranked #19,525

Peak year

1911

220 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Reddaway had 134 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,602 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 201 in 2016, ranked #19,525.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 220 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Reddaway surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Reddaway surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Reddaway 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 108 #16,308
1861 historical 105 #20,298
1881 historical 134 #16,602
1891 historical 164 #17,205
1901 historical 186 #15,839
1911 historical 220 #14,088
1997 modern 187 #18,398
1998 modern 208 #17,693
1999 modern 200 #18,237
2000 modern 214 #17,457
2001 modern 200 #17,948
2002 modern 198 #18,410
2003 modern 206 #17,799
2004 modern 195 #18,500
2005 modern 192 #18,640
2006 modern 201 #18,226
2007 modern 197 #18,669
2008 modern 196 #18,895
2009 modern 196 #19,274
2010 modern 199 #19,515
2011 modern 186 #20,217
2012 modern 206 #18,837
2013 modern 209 #18,984
2014 modern 212 #18,945
2015 modern 206 #19,208
2016 modern 201 #19,525

Geography

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Where Reddaways are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Exeter City: St Edmund, Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841), Sampford Courtney, Inwardleigh and Belstone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Devon and Teignbridge. 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 Exeter City: St Edmund Devon
2 Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841) Devon
3 Sampford Courtney Devon
4 Inwardleigh Devon
5 Belstone Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Devon 003 West Devon
2 West Devon 001 West Devon
3 Teignbridge 011 Teignbridge
4 Teignbridge 003 Teignbridge
5 West Devon 002 West Devon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Reddaway

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Reddaway

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Reddaway, 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 Reddaway surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Reddaway 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Reddaway 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

Reddaway is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Reddaway 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 Reddaway is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Reddaway

The surname Reddaway is of English origin, emerging in the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "read" and "weg," meaning "red" and "way" or "path" respectively. This suggests the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a red-colored road or path.

Reddaway is particularly associated with the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire in northern England. Early spellings included Redaway, Reddeaway, and Reddewei. The earliest known recording of the name dates back to the 13th century in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1285, where it appears as Robard de Reddewei.

The Reddaway name is not found in the renowned Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. However, the surname does appear in other historical records from the 13th century onwards.

Notable individuals bearing the Reddaway surname include William Reddaway (1768-1828), an English engraver and illustrator known for his works on natural history. John Reddaway (1820-1894) was a prominent English solicitor and coroner in Staffordshire. Sir William Reddaway (1893-1981) was a British diplomat and civil servant who served as Ambassador to Japan from 1952 to 1957.

Other figures of note include James Reddaway (1904-1992), a British journalist and author who wrote extensively on Eastern European affairs, and Gordon Reddaway (1912-1996), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Worcestershire in the 1930s.

While the Reddaway surname is relatively uncommon, it has a long and interesting history rooted in the landscapes and linguistic traditions of northern England. The name's journey through the centuries provides a glimpse into the lives and experiences of those who carried it.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Reddaway families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Reddaway 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. Devon leads with 119 Reddaways recorded in 1881 and an index of 43.42x.

County Total Index
Devon 119 43.42x
Middlesex 7 0.53x
Hampshire 3 1.11x
Lancashire 3 0.19x
Glamorgan 1 0.44x
Royal Navy 1 6.37x
Surrey 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sampford Courtenay in Devon leads with 32 Reddaways recorded in 1881 and an index of 7804.88x.

Place Total Index
Sampford Courtenay 32 7804.88x
Belstone 12 17142.86x
Inwardleigh 12 5217.39x
North Tawton 12 1428.57x
Bishopsteignton 8 1538.46x
Brushford 8 20000.00x
Hammersmith London 5 15.42x
Highweek 4 408.16x
Stoke Damerel 4 20.86x
Exeter St Mary Major 3 181.82x
Pendleton In Salford 3 16.12x
Wolborough 3 86.71x
Exeter St Edmund 2 338.98x
Exeter St Mary Steps 2 322.58x
Exeter St Pancras 2 1428.57x
Ilfracombe 2 70.92x
Plymouth St Andrew 2 9.47x
Southampton St Mary 2 11.79x
Bondleigh 1 1111.11x
Charlwood 1 163.93x
Dartmouth St Savior 1 303.03x
East Stonehouse 1 18.52x
East Teignmouth 1 89.29x
Exeter St Sidwell 1 15.92x
Exeter St Thomas The 1 35.84x
Great Torrington 1 64.52x
Islington London 1 0.78x
Kingskerswell 1 217.39x
Okehampton 1 97.09x
Portsea 1 1.89x
Roath 1 9.61x
Royal Navy 1 7.46x
Tavistock 1 32.05x
Teddington London 1 33.56x
Tormoham 1 8.62x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 17
John 9
Robert 8
James 5
Joseph 3
Thomas 3
Alfred 2
George 2
Henry 2
Richard 2
Alice 1
Charles 1
Chas. 1
Ernest 1
Frederick 1
Herbert 1
Lambert 1
Lewis 1
Louis 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Reddaway surname: questions and answers

How common was the Reddaway surname in 1881?

In 1881, 134 people were recorded with the Reddaway surname. That placed it at #16,602 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Reddaway surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 201 in 2016. That gives Reddaway a modern rank of #19,525.

What does the Reddaway surname mean?

Likely derived from a place name referring to someone from a reddish-colored area or village.

What does the Reddaway map show?

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