Find out how popular the last name Ready is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ready.

Ready, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ready surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ready in America

Ready is the 6896th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ready surname appeared 4,875 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Ready.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ready to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ready

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ready.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ready was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ready has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ready was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ready, please contact us.

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