Readman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Strongbownian invaders added their Norman conventions for surnames to the previously established Irish system for hereditary surnames. One of the most frequent forms of surnames for both cultures was the patronymic surname, which was formed from the name of the bearer's father or grandfather. The Norman tradition that the followers of Strongbow brought with them created such a surname through diminutive suffixes such as -ot, -et, -un, -in, or -el. Occasionally, two suffixes were combined to form a double diminutive, as in the combinations of -el-in, -el-ot, -in-ot, and -et-in. The Normans also formed patronymic surnames in a manner very similar to the Irish: they added a prefix to their father's name. These Anglo-Norman people, however, used the prefix Fitz-, which was derived from the French word fils, and ultimately from the Latin filius, which both mean son. Although this prefix probably originated in Flanders or Normandy, it can now only be found in Ireland. The surname Readman is derived from the personal name Raymond, which is derived from the Old French forenames Raimund and Raimond. These are derived from the Old German personal name Raginmund, which literally means counsel-army or might-army. The Gaelic form of the surname Readman is Réamonn.

Early Origins of the Readman family

The surname Readman was first found in County Wexford (Irish: Loch Garman), founded by Vikings as Waesfjord, and located in Southeastern Ireland, in the province of Leinster. Alexander Redmond, the first of this family who bore the surname was of the same stock as the Earl of Pembroke whom he accompanied to Ireland in 1170. 1

While generally known today as an Irish family, we must take moment to explore the branch of the family that stayed in England, specifically at Yealand-Redmayne in Lancashire. " Anciently, Yealand-Conyers and Yealand-Redmayne appear to have formed one district. In the Testa de Neville it is stated, that 'Mathew de Redeman and Robert de Kemyers, or Cynyers, held the eighth part of a knight's fee in Yeland, of the fee of William de Lancaster, the king's tenant in chief;' hence the origin of the additions to the name. The Conyers and Redmayne families were long connected with Yealand." 2 3

Early History of the Readman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Readman research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1415, 1426, 1499, 1505, 1541, 1546, 1551, 1570, 1594, 1602 and 1691 are included under the topic Early Readman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Readman Spelling Variations

Medieval scribes and church officials spelled the names as they sounded, so a name was often spelled many different ways during the lifetime of a single person. The investigation of the origin of the name Readman revealed many spelling variations including Redmond, Reddman, Reddmon, Redman, Reddan, Redmon, Redmand, Readmond, Redmaynd, Redmayne, Reddmayne, Redmane, Reddmane, Reddane, Redmoyne, Redmoynd, Redmain, Redmaine, Redmoine, Reddmyne, Redmyn, Reddmin, Redmin, Redmind and many more.

Early Notables of the Readman family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Chevalier Gabriel Redmond who fought with distinction with the Irish Brigade in France; Dr John Redman (1499-1551), English churchman and academic, the first Master of Trinity College, Cambridge (1546-1551); Sir Richard Redman (or Redmayne) (died 1426), British...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Readman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Readman migration to the United States +

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Readman:

Readman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Readman, who landed in Virginia in 1657 4
Thomas Readman, who arrived in Maryland in 1676 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Readman (post 1700) +

Lindsey Readman, American actress, known for Belle (2014), Headless (2000) and The Articulation of Alan Smith (2011)
Andrew Readman (b. 1996), British actor, known for 101 Dalmatians, The Mark of Cain (2007), This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper (2000) and coronation Street (1995-2015)
David Readman (b. 1970), English singer, best known as the vocalist of the band Pink Cream 69
Angela Readman (b. 1973), English poet and short story writer, awarded the Costa Short Story Award (2013) and the Essex Poetry Prize (2012)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
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)