Richardson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 
  Scotland 


The name Richardson was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Old German name "Ricard," meaning "powerful" and "brave." 1

Early Origins of the Richardson family

The surname Richardson was first found in Cheshire in 1067 where they were descended from Hugh d'Avranche, Earl Lupus of Chester. His descendant, William Belwood, Lord of Malpas in Cheshire, had two sons, David and Richard. Richard's grandson John was the first to bear the name Richardson.

Years later the Yorkshire Poll Tax records revealed William Richardson in 1381 and further north in Scotland, Thome filius Ricardi held a charter of the barony of Symundestone in Lanark c. 1315-1321. A few years later, Laurence filius Ricardi was a tenant of the Earl of Douglas in Louchurde in 1376. Murdac Richardesson, a Scottish merchant complained the English had sunk his vessel during a truce in 1359. 2

Richardson is "essentially a north of England name, extending across the border into Dumfriesshire, and also, but to a less extent, characteristic of most of the east coast counties as far south as Kent and Sussex. The counties of Cumberland, Westmoreland, Durham, Northumberland, and the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire contain the greatest number of the name." 3

Early History of the Richardson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Richardson research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1569, 1572, 1576, 1580, 1594, 1600, 1603, 1606, 1618, 1624, 1625, 1627, 1628, 1635, 1642, 1651, 1654, 1660, 1664, 1667, 1674, 1679, 1682, 1686, 1688, 1689, 1690, 1693, 1698, 1714, 1715, 1737, 1747, 1753, 1755, 1761, 1820 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Richardson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Richardson Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Richardson, Richerson, Richarson and others.

Early Notables of the Richardson family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Richardson World Ranking

In the United States, the name Richardson is the 63rd most popular surname with an estimated 278,544 people with that name. 4 However, in Canada, the name Richardson is ranked the 157th most popular surname with an estimated 22,150 people with that name. 5 And in Australia, the name Richardson is the 76th popular surname with an estimated 31,622 people with that name. 6 New Zealand ranks Richardson as 109th with 3,915 people. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Richardson as 60th with 73,247 people. 8

Migration of the Richardson family to Ireland

Some of the Richardson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 105 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Richardson migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Richardson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Richardson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Richardson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Richardson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Richardson Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Richardson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
Richardson Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Richardson migration to Australia +

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

Richardson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
Richardson Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

Richardson 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:

Richardson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Richardson migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 20
Richardson Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Richardson (post 1700) +


The Richardson 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: Virtute acquiritur honos
Motto Translation: Honour is aquired by virtue.


Suggested Readings for the name Richardson +
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