Rigmaidan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Rigmaidan is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in the county of Lancashire, where they held a family seat at Wedacre. The surname Rigmaidan refers to the dweller by the ridge, in this case the reference is to the female bearer of the name.

Early Origins of the Rigmaidan family

The surname Rigmaidan was first found in Lancashire and Lincolnshire where two gentry families bore the name Rigmaiden. "I can give not better etymology for the name than 'a romping girl.' " 1 Nether Wyersdale in Lancashire was an ancient family seat. "Wyersdale was part of the possessions of the Lancasters: in the reign of Philip and Mary, John Rigmayden held the manor; and in 1605 it was held by the Gerards, of Bromley." 2

Early History of the Rigmaidan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rigmaidan research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rigmaidan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rigmaidan Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Rigmaidan family name include Rigmaiden, Regmaiden, Rigmaden and others.

Early Notables of the Rigmaidan family

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

Migration of the Rigmaidan family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Rigmaidan surname or a spelling variation of the name include : William Rigmaiden who settled in Pennsylvania in 1761.

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.