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Ryerson History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Ryerson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Ryerson came to England with the ancestors of the Ryerson family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Ryerson family lived in Normandy at Rye, three leagues north of Bayeux. "Geoffrey de Rie was living c. 980. His son Odo Fitz Geoffrey gave half the church of Rie to Fescamp Abbey, which was confirmed 1027 by Richard II. of Normandy." 1

"It was Hubert de Rie, who, in 1047, saved the life of the young Duke of Normandy the future Conqueror of England when flying from the conspirators of the Cotentin. He had made his escape by night from Valognes, without armour or attendants, and " dared not," says Wace, " turn towards Bayeux, for he knew not whom to trust, so he took the way which passes between Bayeux and the sea. And as he rode through Rie before the sun rose, Hubert de Rie stood at his gate, between the church and his castle, and saw Wilham pass in disorder, and that his horse was all in a sweat. ' How is it that you travel so, fair sire ? ' said he. ' Hubert,' said William, ' dare I tell you ?' Then Hubert said, "Of a truth, most surely ! say on boldly ! 'I will have no secrets with you; my enemies follow seeking me, and menace my life. I know that they have sworn my death.' " Then Hubert led him into his hostel, and gave him his good horse, and called forth his three sons. 'Fair sons,' said he, ' muntez ! muntez ! Behold your lord ; conduct him till ye have lodged him in Falaise. This way ye shall pass; it will be ill for you to touch upon any town.' So Hubert taught them well the ways and turnings ; and his sons understood all rightly, and followed his instructions exactly. They crossed all the country, passed Folpendant at the ford, and lodged William at Falaise." 2

William never forgot the good deed. By the time of the Conquest, Hubert "was then an old man, and must have died before 1086, as his sons only are entered in Domesday. There were four: Ralph, Hubert, Adam, and Eudo, all of them magnificently endowed by the Conqueror." 2

Early Origins of the Ryerson family

The surname Ryerson was first found in Norfolk, where Hubert de Ria was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1169. Matillis de la Rye was registered in Hampshire in 1237; William de Rye was found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1240; and Geoffrey ate Rye was listed in 1297. 3

In addition to the Ryes of Whitwell in Derbyshire, William de Rye perhaps the same William mentioned in Norfolk was Conservator of York in 1287. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: John de Rye, Lincolnshire; and John de la Rye, Kent. 4

Rye in Sussex is probably related to the family. "This place, which belonged originally to the monastery of Feschamp, in Normandy, was at an early date, together with Winchelsea, annexed to the cinque-ports of England, in the charters granted to which these two towns are invariably styled 'ancient towns.' In the reign of Edward III., Rye was surrounded by a strong wall with several gates, of which that called the Land Gate, the only one remaining, now forms a beautiful entrance to the town from the London and Dover roads. " 5

Early History of the Ryerson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ryerson research. Another 299 words (21 lines of text) covering the years 1263, 1268, 1272, 1276, 1277, 1280, 1290, 1309, 1461 and 1583 are included under the topic Early Ryerson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ryerson Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Rye, Rie, Ries, Ryse, Rise and others.

Early Notables of the Ryerson family

More information is included under the topic Early Ryerson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ryerson Ranking

In the United States, the name Ryerson is the 11,458^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Ryerson migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Ryerson or a variant listed above:

Ryerson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Marten Ryerson, who landed in Long Island in 1647 7
Ryerse Ryerson, who arrived in New York, NY in 1663 7

Ryerson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

A. Ryerson, who immigrated to the United States from London, in 1892
E. J. Ryerson, aged 31, who immigrated to the United States from London, in 1892
Arthur Ryerson, aged 41, who landed in America from London, in 1892
George Herling Ryerson, aged 42, who settled in America, in 1896

Ryerson Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Edward J. Ryerson, who landed in America, in 1908
Ellen Ryerson, aged 13, who immigrated to America, in 1908
Emily Ryerson, aged 14, who landed in America, in 1908
Carrie Ryerson, aged 50, who settled in Chicago, in 1909
Anna Ryerson, aged 21, who landed in America, in 1910
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Ryerson (post 1700) +

Egerton Ryerson (1803-1882), Canadian Methodist minister, educator and politician in Upper Canada, born at Charlotteville, Upper Canada, youngest of the six sons of Colonel Joseph Ryerson (1761–1854)
Rob Ryerson (b. 1964), American soccer player and coach
Rich Ryerson, American soccer player and coach
Gary Ryerson (b. 1948), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1972 to 1973 for the Milwaukee Brewers
Frank L. Ryerson (1905-1995), American trumpeter, composer, arranger and educator, best known as the co-writer of the Jimmy Dorsey hit "Blue Champagne"
Florence Ryerson (1892-1965), American playwright and screenwriter, best known as the co-author of the script for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz
Art Ryerson (1913-2004), American jazz guitarist, known for his 1953 recording of "Crazy Man, Crazy" with Bill Haley
Ali Ryerson (b. 1952), American classical and jazz flautist
James Ryerson (b. 1846), American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Galt, 1899-1911 8
Jack Ryerson, American politician, Mayor of Santa Rosa, California, 1960 8
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Ryerson family +

RMS Lusitania

Miss Laura Mary Ryerson, Canadian 1st Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 14 9
Mrs. Mary Amelia Ryerson, Canadian 1st Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking by escaping in life boat 14 9

RMS Titanic

Mr. William Edwy Ryerson, aged 32, English Saloon Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 9 10
Mrs. Emily Maria Ryerson (1863-1939), (née Borie), aged 48, American First Class passenger from Cooperstown, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 4 10
Miss Emily Borie Ryerson, aged 18, American First Class passenger from Cooperstown, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 4 10
Miss Susan Parker "Suzette" Ryerson, aged 21, American First Class passenger from Cooperstown, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 4 10
Mr. Arthur Larned Ryerson (d. 1912), aged 61, American First Class passenger from Cooperstown, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 10
... (Another 1 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html