Surname Ruddick - Meaning and Origin
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Ruddick: What does the surname Ruddick mean?
The surname Ruddick is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is derived from a personal name. It is considered a patronymic surname, meaning it is based on the name of a father or ancestor. Ruddick specifically comes from "Roddy", a diminutive of the Old English given name Roderick, which means "famous power". This given name was composed of the elements "hrod", meaning fame, and "ric", meaning power. The "k" was added later, creating the surname in the forms Ruddick, Riddick, Ruddock, Raddock, and others.
Like many surnames, Ruddick was first found in specific regions. Historical documents show the Ruddick family held a family seat in Northumberland, a region in Northeast England, and later in Cumberland.
Today, people with the Ruddick surname can be found around the world, particularly in English-speaking countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Remember, while the origins and meanings of surnames can provide interesting points of connection, they don't determine one's identity or destiny.
Order DNA origin analysisRuddick: Where does the name Ruddick come from?
The surname Ruddick is most common today in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States, although it is present in a number of other countries, such as Australia, Canada, and South Africa. In the United Kingdom, the most common locations in which the surname is recorded are Yorkshire, Lancashire, Warwickshire, and Staffordshire. According to data from the 1901 census of England and Wales, over 400 people with the surname lived in Yorkshire at the time. Outside the UK it is thought that the majority of people with the surname are in the United States, with relatively large numbers in the states of New York, California, Pennsylvania and Florida. The surname Ruddick is thought to originate from the Old English and Norse for "red house" or "red dwelling", and is similar to the Norwegian spelling Rudiik.
In terms of its frequency, the surname Ruddick is one of the least common surnames in the English-speaking world, ranked just outside the top 10,000 most popular surnames. According to WorldNames PublicProfiler, a web-based access point to global surnames data, the surname is more common in some areas than others, most notably Yorkshire, England, Lancashire, and nearby regions of the UK.
Variations of the surname Ruddick
The surname Ruddick has a number of variants, depending on the country of origin. In England, the most common variants are Ruddock, Ruddoch, Rudduck, Rudduck, Rudduck, Rudding, Ruddyk, Ruddyke, Ruddick, Reddick, Rudduck, Reddick, Reddock, Ridduck, Riddick, Riddock, Riddoch, Redduck, Redduch, Redduch, Riddoch, Redduck, Reddouch, Rudduche, Rudduche, Redduke, Reddowk, Ruddowk, Ridduche, Ruddike, and Rahduck.
In Scotland, the variants include Rodderick, Roherick, Roherick, Rodri, Roder, Rodarick, Rhoerdick, Rhoredock, Rodduck, Roddick, Rodrick, Roddoch, Redrick, Ridrick, Ruderick, Rhideck, Rhydick, Rhudick, Rhodick, Rhoidick, Rhuduck, Rhyduck, Ridriek, Ridrick, Roddyck, Riddock, Roderich, Roderige, Rodrich, Ruderich, Ridderick, Redriek, Riddrich, Ridderck, Redderich, & Reddik.
In Ireland, the variants include both the Anglicised form Ruddick and the Gaelic form Redig. Other variants of the name include Rhudig, Rodeag, Rodeagh, Thurlaigh, Rodaud, Remuck, Redug, Redigue, Riddie, Roddie, Roddih, Riddey, Roade, and Reddee.
Overall, the common thread between all these varied spellings is the same surname origin, which is a combination of the Old German and Norse words, hrod (means 'renown', 'fame', or 'glory' in Old German) and wigg (means 'war', 'combat', or 'strife' in Norse).
Famous people with the name Ruddick
- Paul Ruddick: a Canadian retired doctor and board certified obstetrician and gynecologist. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2014.
- Rob Ruddick: a former Canadian Football League running back who played nine seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, including three Grey Cup championships.
- William J. Ruddick: a well-known Canadian engineer who has received numerous awards, including being the first Canadian to receive a prestigious IEEE Millennium Medal in 2000.
- Robert Ruddick: a Canadian ice hockey player who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and Chicago Blackhawks between 1941 and 1947.
- Bert Ruddick: a Canadian veteran of World War II who served in the Royal Canadian Navy on HMCS Iroquois. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his distinguished service at Dunkirk.
- David Ruddick: an American film and television actor most notably known for his roles in the popular television series “The Mentalist” and “The Good Wife”.
- Tom Ruddick: a former professional ice hockey player who played one season in the WCHL and two in the ILH with the St. Jean Maroons.
- Richard Ruddick: an American artist who specializes in realistic drawings and mixed-media painting. He was part of the Light My Fire collective, which includes the artists of Burning Man.
- Kenneth Ruddick: a British ornithologist who is an expert on the courtship displays and behaviour of several bird species.
- Peter Ruddick: a British physicist who is noted for his work on the thermodynamics of low-temperature systems. He was awarded a CBE in 2000 for his outstanding contributions to science and engineering.