Ryde Family History

From Middle English ride, rede, rude (Old English *rīed, *rēod, *rȳd) meaning ‘clearing’, the surname may refer to someone who lived in or near a clearing or at one of several places so named, including Rede Court in Strood (Kent), Rides in Eastchurch (Kent), Ride Way in Ewhurst (Surrey), and Reed Farm in Wadhurst (Sussex). The word is particularly common in the south-eastern counties, from Kent to the Isle of Wight. See also Rider and Reader.

From Middle English rithe meaning ‘small stream’ is also recorded as ride in Sussex and Hants. The early bearers from 1524, 1588, and 1599 are associated with Ryde Farm in Send (Surrey), recorded as Ryde in 1541 (Place-Names of Surrey, 148). There is a small stream to the west of the farm which may have given rise to the place-name. Alternatively, the place-name and the surname may belong to the first category.

Away from SE England, if the name does not derive from the previous categories, it may indicate migration or be a spelling variant of Wride, unless Wride itself is a reverse spelling of Ride. A tendency to not pronounce initial /w/ before /r/ began in the 15th century, after which the spellings wr- and r- became interchangeable.

For comparison, consider Samuel Ride in 1701 and John Wride in 1708 as recorded in IGI (Mugginton, Derbys); also, Samuel Wride in 1734 and Ann Ride in 1778 in IGI (Bedminster, Somerset).