2000
#3,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,769
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.25
Uncommon Last name
Redden
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "reedy valley" or referring to a person with red hair.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,046 Americans carry the last name Redden. That puts it at #3,932 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,118 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Redden surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Redden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 34,118
Census rank
#3,932
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,761 bearers of the surname Redden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3932nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Redden, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Redden
The surname Redden is believed to have originated in England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "read," meaning "red," and likely referred to someone with reddish hair or complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which mention a William Redden in Oxfordshire. The name is also found in the Placita de Quo Warranto records of 1292, which list a Thomas Redden in Hertfordshire.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Redden was predominantly found in the southern and eastern regions of England, particularly in counties like Kent, Sussex, and Essex. It is possible that the name originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a distinctive reddish appearance.
While the Redden surname does not appear in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, it is found in other early records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, which mention a Ralph Redden.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Redden surname. One such person was Sir John Redden (c. 1480-1548), a Member of Parliament and landowner from Suffolk. Another was William Redden (1601-1676), an English clergyman and author who wrote a treatise on the Book of Common Prayer.
In the 18th century, Samuel Redden (1722-1788) was a prominent merchant and landowner in Virginia. His descendants played a role in the American Revolutionary War. Another notable bearer of the name was John Redden (1806-1859), an Irish-born Australian explorer and surveyor who helped map parts of the Australian outback.
The Redden surname has also been associated with various place names over the years. For example, Redden Court in Kent was once owned by a family with this surname, and Redden Wood in Buckinghamshire may have derived its name from a similar source.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Redden
Among Census respondents with the surname Redden, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Redden bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Redden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.9% · 6,562
- Black or African American15.7% · 1,373
- Two or more races4.7% · 416
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 311
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Redden
Redden appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,067
+298 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 3.07
Rank movement Down 207 places
2020
#3,932
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,761
-306 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.93
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,712 | 8,769 | 3.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,919 | 9,067 | 3.07 | +298 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 207 places |
| 2020 | #3,932 | 8,761 | 2.93 | -306 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 13 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Redden surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,919 | #3,932 | -0.3% |
| Count | 9,067 | 8,761 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.07 | 2.93 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Redden bearers went from 9,067 to 8,761 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,919 to #3,932.
FAQ
Redden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Redden?
Name Census estimates that about 10,046 living Americans carry the surname Redden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,118 residents.
How common is Redden?
Redden ranks #3,932 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,761 people with the surname Redden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,046), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Redden.
Has Redden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Redden went from 9,067 recorded bearers to 8,761. That is a decrease of 306 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,919 to #3,932.
What does the Census say about the background of Redden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Redden, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Redden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.9% (6,562 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Redden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.9%), Black (15.7%), Two or More Races (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Redden (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Redden mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "reedy valley" or referring to a person with red hair. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Redden (2.93 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Redden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.