Contents [hide]

Reade History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Reade History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The origins of the Reade surname are uncertain. In some instances, it was no doubt derived from the Old English word "read," meaning "red," and was a nickname that came to be a surname. Either way, we may conclude that it meant "red-haired" or "ruddy complexioned." 1 2

To confuse matters more, there are also instances where the surname Reade is thought to be derived from one of various place names, such as Read in Lancashire, and Rede in Suffolk.

Early Origins of the Reade family

The surname Reade was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland where the name has been found since the 14th century. Ancient charters show the name as Rufus (Latinized,) records include an Ada Rufus who witnessed resignation of the lands of Ingilbristoun in 1204; and a William Rufus, who was a juror on an inquest on the lands of Padevinan in 1259. "Gilbert 'le Rede' of Coul was committed to prison and died there in 1296. Red is found as a surname in Aberdeen in 1317, and it is one of the oldest in the parish of Kildrummy. Patrick dictus Rede was on an assize at Rane in 1335, John Reed was collector of tithe in the deaneries of Stormonth and Atholl in 1362, and James Reed was bailie of the burgh of Stirling in 1364. Reeds were at one period a numerous Clan in Kyle. The first of the name there recorded is probably William Rede, son of John Reede. who had a confirmation of the lands and pertinents of Bairskemyn in Kyle in 1375. " 3

For the purposes of Clan identification, the family name Reade is officially a sept of the Clan Robertson and as such is entitled to the Clan Badge and Crest of the Robertsons.

Early History of the Reade family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Reade research. Another 359 words (26 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1335, 1357, 1362, 1364, 1375, 1376, 1439, 1494, 1543, 1558, 1586, 1618, 1624, 1625, 1639, 1641, 1721, 1760, 1778, 1806, 1843 and 1917 are included under the topic Early Reade History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Reade Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ried, Reid, Read, Reed and others.

Early Notables of the Reade family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

Robert Reid (died 1558), Scottish abbot of Kinloss and bishop of Orkney, son of John Reid of Aikenhead, who was killed at Flodden; Thomas Redi, Read or Rhaedus (died 1624), Latin secretary to King Jam...

Reade Ranking

In the United States, the name Reade is the 17,593^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Reade family to Ireland

Some of the Reade family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Reade migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Reade Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Esdras Reade, who settled in Boston in 1630
George Reade, who settled in Boston in 1635
Justus Reade, who settled in Boston 1635
Mabel Reade, who settled in Boston 1635
Mr. Thomas Reade of Essex who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Reade Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Reade (1688-1756), English settler to America, one of the six founders of the city of Charlestown
Joseph Reade, who landed in Virginia in 1740 6

Reade migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Reade Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Margaret Reade, aged 28, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Fortune" 7
Bridget Reade, aged 22, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Europa" 8
Mr. John Reade, English convict who was convicted in Knutsford (Nether Knutsford), Cheshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Edwin Fox" on 24th August 1858, arriving in Western Australia, Australia

Reade migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Reade Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Reade, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Kingston" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 29th December 1858 9
Mr. Redmond Reade, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Kingston" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 29th December 1858 9
John Reade, aged 33, a farmer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
Lucretia Reade, aged 32, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
Mary Reade, aged 5, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Reade (post 1700) +

Bob Reade (1932-2020), American football coach, College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1998
Walter Reade Jr (1916-1973), American President and Board Chairman of the Walter Reade Organization, son of Walter Reade Sr
Edwin Godwin Reade (1812-1894), American politician, Confederate States Senator from North Carolina in 1864, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina (1855-1857)
Walter Reade Sr (1884-1952), American theater founder of a chain of theatres which grew from a single theatre in Asbury Park, New Jersey, founder of The Walter Reade Organization
R. P. Reade, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Carolina, 1944 10
Joseph Bancroft Reade (1801-1870), English chemist, microscopist, and photographic discoverer, eldest son of Thomas Shaw Bancroft Reade; he discovered a mode of separating heat-rays from those of light by the use of a hemispherical lens, so as to enable pictures to be taken with safety by means of cemented achromatic objectives
John Edmuind Reade (1800-1870), English poetaster and novelist, born in 1800 at Broadwell, Gloucestershire, was the son of Thomas Reade of Barton Manor, Berkshire
Edward Anderdon Reade (1807-1886), English Anglo-Indian official, born at Ipsden, Oxfordshire, on 15 March 1807, fifth son of John Reade of Ipsden, a property which has been in the possession of the family since 1581
Nicholas Stewart Reade (b. 1946), English prelate, Bishop of Blackburn (2004-2012)
Shanaze Danielle Reade (b. 1988), former professional British Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer and track cyclist from Crewe, Cheshire
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Reade Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fortitudine et labore
Motto Translation: By fortitute and exertion.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
South Australian Register Thursday 8th June 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Fortune 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/fortune1854.shtml
South Australian Register Monday 14th May 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Europa 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/europa1855.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html