Ridler History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Ridler comes from when its first bearer worked as a sifter of corn, sand or lime for mortar. Occupational names that were derived from the common trades of the medieval era transcended European cultural and linguistic boundaries. Occupational names have remained fairly commonplace in the modern period. This is attested to by the continuing appearance of occupational suffixes at the end of many English surnames. Some of these suffixes include: herd, monger, maker, hewer, smith and wright.

Early Origins of the Ridler family

The surname Ridler was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Ridler family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ridler research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1635 and 1733 are included under the topic Early Ridler History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ridler Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Ridler include Ridler, Riddler, Ridlar, Riddlar and others.

Early Notables of the Ridler family

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

Ridler migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Ridler or a variant listed above:

Ridler Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander Ridler, who arrived in San Francisco in 1850
Albert Ridler, aged 31, who landed in New York, NY in 1855 1
William Ridler, aged 30, who arrived in New York, NY in 1855 1

Ridler migration to Australia +

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

Ridler Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Ridler, English convict from Gloucester, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 2

Ridler 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:

Ridler Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Ridler, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1843 aboard the ship ThomasSparks
James Ridler a farmer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Romulus" in 1862

Contemporary Notables of the name Ridler (post 1700) +

Horace Ridler (1886-1969), American sideshow performer
Beulah Ridler, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Iowa Democratic State Central Committee, 1949 3
Anne Barbara Ridler OBE (1912-2001), British poet and Faber and Faber editor
Tony Ridler (b. 1954), retired Welsh professional darts player
Vivian Ridler (1914-2009), Printer to the University of Oxford

Citations +

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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html