Redding last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Redding

Derived from a place name meaning "the people of the red valley" in Old English.

Redding, 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 Redding surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Redding in America

Redding is the 2317th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Redding surname appeared 15,767 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Redding.

We can also compare 2010 data for Redding 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 2317 2187 5.77%
Count 15,767 15,264 3.24%
Proportion per 100k 5.35 5.66 -5.63%

The history of the last name Redding

The surname Redding has its origins in England and Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "red" or "reade," meaning red, and the suffix "-ing," indicating a place or location. This suggests that the name originally referred to a person who lived in an area associated with red soil, vegetation, or other natural features.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1188, where a person named William de Redding is mentioned. Another early reference appears in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, which lists a John de Redyng.

The name Redding is also linked to various place names in England, such as Redding in Buckinghamshire and Redding in Oxfordshire. These locations likely contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname by families residing in those areas.

In Scotland, the name Redding is believed to have originated from the village of Redding, located near Falkirk. One of the earliest recorded Scottish individuals with this surname was Johannes de Redyn, who lived in the late 13th century.

Notable people throughout history who bore the surname Redding include:

  1. Sir Robert Redding (c. 1460 - c. 1540), an English diplomat and courtier during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII.
  2. Benjamin Redding (1737 - 1816), an American soldier and politician who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress.
  3. Elizabeth Redding (1807 - 1898), an English poet and writer who published several works of poetry and fiction.
  4. Thomas M. Redding (1874 - 1949), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 27th Governor of Oregon from 1927 to 1931.
  5. Sir Alfred Redding (1892 - 1977), a British civil engineer and businessman who played a significant role in the construction of various infrastructure projects in India and the Middle East.

Throughout history, variations in the spelling of the surname Redding have included Reddinge, Reddyng, Reding, and Redyn, among others. However, the core meaning and origins of the name remain rooted in its association with red or reddish locations or geographical features.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Redding

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

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 Redding was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 70.00% 11,037
Non-Hispanic Black Only 24.51% 3,864
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.39% 61
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.56% 88
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.99% 314
Hispanic Origin 2.55% 402

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 Redding has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 70.00% 72.37% -3.33%
Black 24.51% 23.66% 3.53%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.39% 0.27% 36.36%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.56% 0.56% 0.00%
Two or More Races 1.99% 1.43% 32.75%
Hispanic 2.55% 1.70% 40.00%

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 Redding was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Redding last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 2, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/redding-surname-popularity/.

"Redding last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/redding-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 December, 2024

Redding last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/redding-surname-popularity/.

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