NameCensus.

UK surname

Ridley

From the Old English elements "hreod" (reed) and "leah" (clearing or meadow), referring to someone living near a reed-filled clearing.

In the 1881 census there were 5,786 people recorded with the Ridley surname, ranking it #762 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,309, ranked #789, down from #762 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Allendale and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ridley is 8,651 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 43.6%.

1881 census count

5,786

Ranked #762

Modern count

8,309

2016, ranked #789

Peak year

2010

8,651 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ridley had 5,786 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #762 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,309 in 2016, ranked #789.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,994 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Ridley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ridley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ridley 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 3,702 #768
1861 historical 3,603 #778
1881 historical 5,786 #762
1891 historical 6,009 #776
1901 historical 7,213 #763
1911 historical 7,994 #634
1997 modern 8,276 #770
1998 modern 8,546 #772
1999 modern 8,561 #779
2000 modern 8,523 #782
2001 modern 8,304 #783
2002 modern 8,463 #785
2003 modern 8,172 #793
2004 modern 8,250 #787
2005 modern 8,112 #788
2006 modern 8,171 #781
2007 modern 8,204 #783
2008 modern 8,248 #788
2009 modern 8,493 #783
2010 modern 8,651 #782
2011 modern 8,575 #780
2012 modern 8,329 #783
2013 modern 8,418 #787
2014 modern 8,490 #787
2015 modern 8,358 #789
2016 modern 8,309 #789

Geography

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Where Ridleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Allendale, London parishes and Gateshead. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Allendale Northumberland
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 Gateshead Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 037 Northumberland
2 Northumberland 038 Northumberland
3 Northumberland 039 Northumberland
4 Northumberland 019 Northumberland
5 Northumberland 040 Northumberland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ridley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ridley

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Ridley is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ridley 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

Ridley 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 Ridley 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 Ridley, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Ridley

The surname Ridley is of English origin and is derived from the Old English word "ryge" meaning rye and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. It likely referred to someone who lived near a rye field or meadow.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century in counties such as Northumberland and Durham. It was also found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, an ancient census document from the reign of King Edward I.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England compiled for William the Conqueror, there are several references to places with similar names like Rigeleie and Rigeleia, which may have been the origin of some Ridley surnames.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Nicholas de Ridley, a landowner in Northumberland who was mentioned in records from 1249. Another early example is Ralph de Rydeley, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301.

Notable individuals with the surname Ridley include Nicholas Ridley (c. 1500-1555), an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake for his religious beliefs during the reign of Queen Mary I. Matthew Ridley (1607-1672) was an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament.

Other famous Ridleys include Nicholas Ridley (1619-1674), an English playwright and poet, and James Ridley (1736-1765), an English naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War. Humphry Ridley (1653-1708) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.

The surname Ridley is still relatively common in parts of England, particularly in the north-east regions where it originated. It has also spread to other English-speaking countries through emigration over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ridley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ridley 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. Durham leads with 1,427 Ridleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.50x.

County Total Index
Durham 1,427 8.50x
Northumberland 1,121 13.34x
Middlesex 628 1.11x
Yorkshire 376 0.67x
Surrey 292 1.06x
Sussex 266 2.79x
Cumberland 245 5.04x
Lancashire 208 0.31x
Warwickshire 153 1.07x
Kent 144 0.75x
Essex 88 0.79x
Lincolnshire 72 0.80x
Nottinghamshire 68 0.89x
Somerset 59 0.65x
Westmorland 53 4.27x
Suffolk 52 0.76x
Staffordshire 50 0.26x
Cheshire 49 0.39x
Berkshire 43 1.01x
Worcestershire 43 0.58x
Hampshire 37 0.32x
Lanarkshire 36 0.20x
Gloucestershire 33 0.30x
Herefordshire 22 0.95x
Leicestershire 22 0.35x
Northamptonshire 21 0.40x
Derbyshire 20 0.23x
Buckinghamshire 19 0.56x
Devon 18 0.15x
Norfolk 15 0.17x
Oxfordshire 13 0.37x
Carmarthenshire 11 0.46x
Glamorgan 10 0.10x
Hertfordshire 10 0.26x
Shropshire 10 0.21x
Roxburghshire 9 0.88x
Dorset 8 0.22x
Bedfordshire 6 0.21x
Midlothian 5 0.07x
Monmouthshire 5 0.12x
Wiltshire 5 0.10x
Dumfriesshire 3 0.24x
Royal Navy 3 0.45x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.06x
Fife 2 0.06x
Flintshire 2 0.13x
Ayrshire 1 0.02x
Brecknockshire 1 0.09x
Channel Islands 1 0.06x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Gateshead in Durham leads with 172 Ridleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.68x.

Place Total Index
Gateshead 172 13.68x
Tanfield 112 56.07x
Bishopwearmouth 85 5.90x
Elswick 80 11.93x
Allendale 78 100.14x
Birmingham 73 1.54x
Darlington 73 11.26x
Westoe 71 7.46x
Maresfield 64 159.52x
St Pancras London 64 1.41x
Hackney London 63 1.99x
Croydon 59 3.86x
Newcastle On Tyne St 59 13.55x
Camberwell 56 1.55x
Heworth 56 16.92x
Bedlington 53 18.89x
Bethnal Green London 52 2.12x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 52 10.36x
Stanhope 49 28.25x
Islington London 48 0.88x
Lambeth 45 0.91x
Hexham 42 32.31x
West Ham 38 1.54x
Brighton 36 1.87x
Chester Le Street 36 27.91x
Prudhoe 36 61.60x
Acomb 34 166.59x
Haydon 34 74.01x
Lanchester 34 110.21x
St Marylebone London 33 1.09x
Westgate 32 6.15x
Tynemouth 31 6.89x
Knaresdale 30 296.74x
Liverpool 30 0.74x
Wolsingham 30 19.60x
Byker 29 6.98x
Leeds 29 0.92x
Urpeth 27 82.52x
Kensington London 26 0.83x
St Giles In Fields 26 13.35x
Sunderland 26 8.76x
Aston 25 0.64x
Hayton 25 90.71x
Brampton 24 36.01x
Shoreditch London 24 0.98x
Benwell 23 25.05x
Bromley 23 7.83x
Kyo 23 29.09x
Collierley 22 29.40x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 22 3.02x
Haltwhistle 21 51.52x
Henshaw 21 218.30x
Hucknall Torkard 21 10.88x
Paddington London 21 1.01x
Benfieldside 20 18.10x
Featherstone 20 298.06x
Finchley 20 9.24x
Enfield 19 5.13x
Southwark St George Martyr 19 1.67x
Alston 18 20.09x
Jesmond 18 15.23x
Longbenton 18 5.06x
Newark Upon Trent 18 6.58x
Pelton 18 22.52x
St Clement Danes 18 19.69x
Whickham 18 11.65x
Bromley London 17 1.37x
Bury St Edmunds St James 17 9.26x
Chiswick 17 5.51x
Fulham London 17 2.08x
Preston 17 0.95x
Sheffield 17 0.95x
West Herrington 17 28.89x
Whitworth 17 13.82x
Winlaton 17 10.55x
Dawdon 16 7.74x
Hurstpierpoint 16 30.20x
Lambley 16 115.11x
Manchester 16 0.53x
Warden 16 93.24x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 466
Elizabeth 291
Jane 202
Sarah 197
Margaret 128
Ann 98
Annie 97
Hannah 81
Isabella 78
Alice 74
Ellen 61
Eliza 54
Emily 47
Catherine 38
Emma 38
Charlotte 37
Louisa 37
Edith 29
Frances 29
Dorothy 26
Martha 21
Ada 20
Caroline 20
Florence 20
Anne 19
Maria 18
Susan 17
Agnes 16
Fanny 15
Lucy 15
Clara 14
Kate 14
Rebecca 14
Esther 13
Harriet 13
Susannah 13
Eleanor 12
Grace 12
Ruth 12
Barbara 11
Elizth. 11
Ethel 11
Harriett 11
Lizzie 11
Margret 11
Helen 10
Minnie 10
Amelia 9
Lydia 9
Sophia 9

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 399
William 389
Thomas 258
George 209
James 163
Joseph 150
Robert 125
Henry 114
Charles 80
Edward 58
Alfred 42
Matthew 39
Frederick 37
Walter 36
Harry 27
Samuel 27
Arthur 25
Ralph 24
Albert 22
Edwin 20
Frank 19
Richard 18
Thos. 17
Ernest 16
Christopher 15
David 14
Mathew 12
Nicholas 12
Benjamin 11
Cuthbert 11
Francis 11
Geo. 10
Wm. 10
Herbert 9
Tom 9
Mark 8
Alexander 7
Andrew 7
Chas. 6
Jacob 6
Jonathan 6
Michael 6
Peter 6
Stephen 6
Young 6
Horace 5
Hugh 5
Percy 5
Robinson 5
Robt. 5

FAQ

Ridley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ridley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,786 people were recorded with the Ridley surname. That placed it at #762 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ridley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,309 in 2016. That gives Ridley a modern rank of #789.

What does the Ridley surname mean?

From the Old English elements "hreod" (reed) and "leah" (clearing or meadow), referring to someone living near a reed-filled clearing.

What does the Ridley map show?

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