Redding
Usually a locational surname, either from Reading in Berkshire or from a place called Redding in Scotland.
The #2,317 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 19,582 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is generally explained as a place-name surname. One old analysis derives it from a meaning like 'the red meadow,' using Old English and Old Norse elements for 'red' and 'meadow.' Other authorities, however, treat it simply as a surname taken from the place-name Reading in Berkshire, pronounced in a way that could yield Redding in speech.
History
19th-century surname dictionaries give two main origins: Reading, Berkshire, and Redding in Stirlingshire. The surname also appears in Scottish records, which fits the place-name explanation. Because both forms could converge in spelling and pronunciation, some bearers may descend from different places even when the modern surname is the same.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books note that Redding could be a spelling outcome of the place-name Reading when pronounced locally.
From the historical record
“REDDING (Eng.) i Dweller at the Red Mea- dow [O.E. riad, red -f O.N.E. ing, O.N. eng, a meadow] There is a Redding in Stirlingshire. 2 for Reading, q.v. REDDISH (Eng.) Bel. to Reddish (Lanes), 13th cent. Reddich, Redich = the Reedy Ditch [O.E. hriod, a reed + die, a ditch] Confused with Redditch.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)