Ridder History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The Ridder surname is derived from the Middle High German word "rîter," which means "horseback rider" or "knight." It is thus likely that the first people to adopt this as a surname were either knights or descendants of knights.

Early Origins of the Ridder family

The surname Ridder was first found in Austria, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Always prominent in social affairs, the name became an integral part of that turbulent region as it emerged to form alliances with other families within the Feudal System and the nation.

Early History of the Ridder family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ridder research. Another 232 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1262, 1588, 1616, 1645, 1663, 1725, 1737, 1759, 1779, 1791, 1812, 1833, 1849, 1859, 1869, 1896 and 1926 are included under the topic Early Ridder History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ridder Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Ridder include Ritter, Ritther, Rytter, Ryther, Ridder, Rider, Rhitter and many more.

Early Notables of the Ridder family

During this period prominent bearers of the name Ridder were Christian Ritter (c. 1645-1725?), German composer and organist of the North German organ school; Heinrich Ritter (1791-1869), who was a German historian of philosophy born in Zerbst. He taught at Goettingen for thirty years. Karl...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ridder Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ridder Ranking

In the United States, the name Ridder is the 18,485^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ridder migration to the United States +

After the First World War, Austria became a republic. The Treaty of Versailles broke up the empire in 1919 and many of the Sudeten Germans were incorporated into the new nation of Czechoslovakia. In the 20th century, many Austrians migrated to other parts of Germany or Europe, as well as to North America. In the United States, the majority of settlers landed in Philadelphia, and moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Many German settlers also migrated to Canada, particularly Ontario and the Prairies. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Ridder were

Ridder Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Barent Joosten Ridder, who landed in New York in 1687 2

Ridder Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Fr Herm Ridder, who arrived in America in 1834 2
Herman Ridder, who settled in Philadelphia in 1843
Johanna Elis Ridder, who landed in America in 1844 2
Herm Rudolph Ridder, who arrived in America in 1845 2
Heinr Ridder, who landed in America in 1846 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ridder migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ridder Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

James Ridder, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752

Contemporary Notables of the name Ridder (post 1700) +

Eric Ridder (1918-1996), American sailor and Olympic sailing champion at the 1952 Olympics
Georgia Ridder (1914-2002), American thoroughbred racehorse owner
Bernard Joseph "Ben" Ridder (1913-1983), American newspaper publisher
Steve Danny Marc De Ridder (b. 1987), Belgian footballer
Chantal Alida Maria de Ridder (b. 1989), Dutch football striker
Philip Ridder (1759-1838), Russian explorer
Marjan Ridder (b. 1953), Dutch retired female badminton player, winner of 17 titles
Koen Ridder (b. 1985), Dutch professional badminton player
Daniël Robin Frederick de Ridder (b. 1984), Dutch footballer

Citations +

"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)