Surnames as First Names: English Surnames — R

Rimer

Today it’s R’s turn in the exploration of little used English surnames of Old English, Norse and Anglo-French origin. It’s a letter rich in promising, contemporary choices!

• Radcliff — from one of the places of the name. Old English rēad “red” + clif “cliff.”
• Raddon — from one of the places of the name. Old English rēad “red” + dūn “hill,” or denu “valley.”
• Radford — from one of the places of the name. Old English rēad “red” + ford “ford.”
• Radley — from one of the places of the name. Old English rēad “red” + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture,” and “meadow.” Also Radleigh.
• Raglan, Ragland — from Ragland, Wiltshire. Middle English ragge “stony” + land “land.”
• Ragley — from Ragley Hall, Warwickshire. Middle English ragge “stony” + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture,” and “meadow.”
• Raimes — from Rames, France. Probably Old French rames “sticks,” “posts”; probably referring to a palisade.
• Ramsden — from one of the places of the name. Old English ramsa “ramsons” + denu “valley.”
• Rawley — a form of Raleigh, from Raleigh in Devon, or Rayleigh, Essex. Old English rǣge “roe-deer” + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture,” and “meadow.”
• Rawnsley — from a lost village in Yorkshire. Old English hræfn “raven” (probably used here as a personal name) + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture,” and “meadow.”
• Rayden, Raydon — Rayden appeared for the first time ever in 2010, in 928th place, but that still counts as rare enough for a mention here. From Raydon, Suffolk. Old English ryge “rye” + dūn “hill.”
• Rayer — from the Old German personal name Radhari “counsel-army”; medieval forms included Rathar and Rather.
• Rayner, Reyner — from the Old German personal name Reginhari “counsel-army” (yes, again!). Introduced by the Normans in the Norman-French form Rainer.
• Redd — a form of Read, from Old English rēad “counsel,” the source also of Reed, Red and Reid.
• Reaney — often pronounced “rainy” in its home-town of Sheffield. From Ranah Stones, Yorkshire. Old Norse hrafn “raven” + haugr “hill.”
• Redvers — from Reviers, Calvados. Old French: riviere “river.”
• Redwin — from the Old English personal name Rædwine “counsel-friend.”
• Remfrey — from the Old German personal name Raganfrid “might-peace.” Introduced by the Normans in the Norman-French form Rainfrid.
• Renham — from the Rainham in Kent or Essex. Old English Roegingas (a tribal name) + hām “homestead,” “village,” “estate,” “manor.”
• Renner — from Old English rennan “to run.”
• Renter — Middle English renter “one who owns and lets land.”
• Renton — from one of the places called Rainton. Old English personal name Rægen “might” + tūn “enclosure,” “farmstead,” “estate,” “manor,” “village.”
• Revis — from Rievaulx, Yorkshire. River name Rye + Old French val(s) “valley.”
• Rew — Middle English rew “row (of houses).”
• Richmay — from the Old English female name Ricmæge “rule-maiden.” Occurs as Richemaya in medieval documents.
• Rickerby — from Rickerby, Cumbria. Old Norse personal name Rikard (the Old Norse form of Richard) + bý “farmstead,” “village” and “settlement.”
• Ridley, Redley — from one of the places called Ridley. Old English rēad “red” or hrēod “reed” + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture,” and “meadow.”
• Rimer, Rymer — Anglo-French rimour “rimer,” “poet.”
• Risby — from one of the places called Risby. Old Norse hrís “brushwood” + bý “farmstead,” “village” and “settlement.”
• Risden, Risdon — Old English hrís “brushwood” + denu “valley” or dūn “hill.”
• Risley — from one of the places of the name. Old English hrīs + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture,” and “meadow.”
• Rixon — Middle English atte rixen “among the rushes.”
• Roaf, Rowe — A form of Rolf, and thus Rudolph.
• Robey, Roby — partly from Robbie, partly from the places called Robey and Roby. Old Norse rá “boundary” + bý “farmstead,” “village” and “settlement.” Roby appeared a few times in the eight and nine hundreds in the late nineteenth century, but not enough to write home about.
• Rocker — Middle English: rok, rocke “distaff,” used of someone who made them, or perhaps a spinner. Also Rokker.
• Rockley — from Rockley, Wiltshire. Old English hrōc “rook” + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture,” and “meadow.”
• Rodley — Old English: hrēod “reed”+ lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture,” and “meadow.”
• Roke — Middle English: atter oke  “(dweller) at the oak.”
• Rokeby — from one of the places of the name. Old Norse hrókr “rook” + bý “farmstead,” “village” and “settlement.”
• Romer — Middle English: romere “one who has made a pilgrimage to Rome.”
• Romilly — in the top 1000 in the UK, but not in the US. From Remilly or Romilly in France, or Romiley, Cheshire. The French derive from the Latin Romulus, the English is Old English rūm “spacious” + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture,” and “meadow.”
• Romney — from Romney, Kent. The town takes its name from a river. Possibly Old English rūmen “broad” + ēa “river.”
• Roper — Middle English ropere “a rope-maker.”
• Rothwell — from one of the places of the name. Old English +roth “clearing” + wella “spring,” “stream.”
• Routh — from Routh, Yorkshire. Old Norse: hrúthr “rough ground.”
• Rowat, Rowet, Rowett — from the Old Norse name Hróaldr “fame-ruler,” or from Roet, a medieval pet-form Rolf, or from Old English *rūwet “rough ground.”
  
• Rowden, Rowdon — from one of the places of the name. Old English hrēod “reed” + denu “valley” or dūn “hill.”
• Rowell — from ROTHWELL, or Old English rūh “rough” + hyll “hill.”
• Rower, Royer — Old French: roier “wheel-wright.”
• Rowley — from one of the places of the name. Old English: rūh “rough” + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture,” and “meadow.”
• Rowney — Old English: rūh “rough” + (ge)hæg “enclosure.”
• Rowton — Old English: rūh “rough”  + + tūn “enclosure,” “farmstead,” “estate,” “manor,” “village.”
• Roxby — From Roxby, Lincolnshire. Old Norse personal name Hrókr (meaning “rook”) + bý “farmstead,” “village” and “settlement.”
• Royden, Roydon — from one of the places of the name. Old English: ryge “rye” + dūn “hill.”
• Rudd — Old English: *rud- “ruddy.”
• Rugeley — from Rugeley, Staffordshire. Old English: hrycg “ridge” + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture,” and “meadow.”
• Rusher — Old English rysc used of someone who cut or sold rushes.
• Ryton — from one of the places of the name. Old English ryge “rye” + tūn “enclosure,” “farmstead,” “estate,” “manor,” “village.”

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