Rider
An English surname that could refer to a horseman or mounted officer, and in some cases may come from a place-name like Ryther.
The #2,227 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,881 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained from Middle English rider, meaning a horseman or mounted man, from Old English ridere. In older sources it could also describe a mounted forest officer or steward, someone who supervised hunting or riding duties. Some families may instead take the name from the Yorkshire place Ryther, which appears in historical records in forms such as Ridre or Ryther.
History
The name appears early in English records and was used for men described as riders, troopers, or mounted foresters. Medieval spellings vary, and some bearers were later linked with the Yorkshire place-name Ryther rather than with the occupation itself. The surname survives today in the same straightforward spelling, though a related spelling tradition also produced Ryder.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname guides note that the occupational name was often written Ryder rather than Rider, which is why that spelling became especially common in English records.
From the historical record
“Ridehalgh, q.v. RIDER (Eng.) i Horseman, Trooper ; in late A.-Saxon, Norman K:*ight. 2 Mounted Keeper or Steward ; Ranger [M.E. ridere, rydere; O.E. ridere] I geve thee eightene pence a day. And my bowe shalt thou here ; 4.nd over all the north countre 1 make thee chyfe rydere. —”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)