Ridge
A topographic surname for someone who lived on or by a ridge of land.
The #4,936 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 43,284 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ridge comes from Middle English rigge, from Old English hrycg, meaning “ridge” or “backbone.” As a surname, it originally identified someone who lived near a ridge or elevated strip of ground. It is a straightforward topographic name, with no hidden occupational meaning.
History
Medieval records show forms such as Atte Rigge, meaning “at the ridge,” which later shortened to Ridge and related spellings. The surname has also generated or influenced related names such as Ridgeway and Ridger. It remained especially English in origin and spread through ordinary surname inheritance rather than through one famous founding family.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Old English root behind Ridge also appears in words like ridgeway, a path running along high ground.
From the historical record
“VE1,LER. RIDGE (EngO Dweller at a Ridge [M.E. rigge, O.E. hrycg] RIDGEWAYl (Eng.) Dweller at the Ridge- RIDGWAY /Way iO. '&. hrycgweg] RIDGLEY (Eng.) Dweller at the Ridge-Lea [O.E. hrycgledh] RIDGMONT (A.-Fr.-Lat.) Bel. to Ridgmont (Beds, Yorks, Lanes, etc.)”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)