Ridgely History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Ridgely surname is thought to be a habitational name, derived perhaps from the place name Rugeley, in Staffordshire.

Early Origins of the Ridgely family

The surname Ridgely was first found in Staffordshire where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Ridgely family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ridgely research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1614, 1667 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Ridgely History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ridgely Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ridgeley, Ridgley, Ridgly and others.

Early Notables of the Ridgely family

Distinguished members of the family include

Sir Roland Ridgely, knighted 1614 by Sir Arthur Chichester, Lord Deputy of Ireland...
Thomas Ridgely (1667-1734), was an English independent theologian, born in London and educated for the ministry in Wiltshire...

Migration of the Ridgely family to Ireland

Some of the Ridgely family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ridgely migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ridgely Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Thomas Ridgely, aged 23, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 aboard the ship "Bonaventure" coming via St. Domingo 1
Henry Ridgely, who arrived in Maryland in 1659 2
Martha Ridgely, who landed in Maryland in 1671 2
Robert Ridgely, who arrived in Maryland in 1680 2
William Ridgely, aged 15, who landed in Maryland in 1691 2

Ridgely migration to Australia +

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

Ridgely Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

Mr. Douglas Ridgely, who arrived in Sydney, Australia in 1951 aboard the ship "Empire Brent" 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Ridgely (post 1700) +

Col. Charles Ridgely II (1702-1772), American justice, planter, mechant, ironmaster, member of the Lower House, nicknamed "Charles The Merchant"
William B. Ridgely, United States Comptroller of the Currency from 1901 to 1908
Edwin Reed Ridgely (1844-1927), American politician, U.S. Representative from Kansas
Dr. Robert Sterling Ridgely (b. 1946), American ornithologist, specializing in the neotropics, recipient of the Chandler Robbins Award (2006)
Cleo Ridgely (1893-1962), born Freda Cleo Helwig, American star of silent and sound motion pictures
Henry Moore Ridgely (1779-1847), American lawyer and politician from Dover, Delaware
John Ridgely (1909-1968), American film character actor who appeared in over 100 films
Robert Ridgely (1931-1997), American actor and vocal artist, best known for his work on Philadelphia (1993), Boogie Nights (1997) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
Charles Carnan Ridgely (1762-1829), born Charles Ridgely Carnan, American politician, 15th Governor of Maryland (1815-1818)
Charles Carnan Ridgely (1760-1829), American politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates, 1790-95; Member of Maryland State Senate, 1796-1800; Governor of Maryland, 1816-19 4
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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)
National Archives of Australia Retrieved 9th February 2023. Retrieved from https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ListingReports/PassengerListing.aspx
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html