Ridley is a surname and given name that originated from locations in

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's coun ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a ceremonial counties of England, county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Ab ...

, and

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

counties in England. The name derives from Old English, either (''reeds'') + (''wood'' or ''clearing''), or (''cleared land'') + ''lēah''.

People

Surname

Aaron Ridley Aaron Ridley (born 31 July 1962) is a British philosopher and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southampton. He is known for his works on aesthetics, particularly the philosophy of music, and on Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzs ...

, British philosopher * Aaron J. Ridley, American atmospheric researcher * Adam Ridley (born 1942), British economist * Alan Ridley (1910–1993), Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s * Alice Tan Ridley (born 1952), gospel and R&B singer * Andrew Ridley (born 1968), Australian cricketer *

Arnold Ridley William Arnold Ridley, OBE (7 January 1896 – 12 March 1984) was an English playwright and actor, earlier in his career known for writing the play '' The Ghost Train'' and later in life in the British TV sitcom ''Dad's Army'' (1968–1977) as t ...

(1896–1984), English actor *

Bill Ridley William D. Ridley (February 2, 1934 – September 28, 2019) was an American college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), t ...

(1934–2019), American basketball player * Brian Ridley (born 1931), British solid-state physicist * Calvin Ridley (born 1994), American football player *

Cicely Ridley Elizabeth Cicely Ridley (née Taylor, September 26, 1927 – December 23, 2008) was a British-American applied mathematician known for her work in numerical quantum chemistry and in climate modeling. The Roble–Dickinson–Ridley code that she a ...

(1927–2008), British-American applied mathematician * Daisy Ridley (born 1992), English actress *

David Ridley David Anthony Ridley (born 5 May 1954) is a former English cricketer. Ridley was a right-handed batsman who played primarily as a wicketkeeper. Ridley made his debut for Dorset in the 1979 Minor Counties Championship against Somerset II. He ...

(born 1954), English cricketer *

F. A. Ridley Francis Ambrose Ridley, usually known as Frank Ridley (22 February 1897 – 27 March 1994) was a Marxist and secularist of the United Kingdom. Life Ridley was educated at Sedbergh School and Salisbury Theological College. He did not enter t ...

(1897–1994), British marxist, secularist, and writer * Fred Ridley (born 1952), American amateur golfer and golf administrator * Florida Ruffin Ridley (1861–1943), African-American civil rights activist, teacher, writer, and editor * Gary Ridley (1945-2022), American engineers * George Ridley (Labour politician) (1886–1944), British Member of Parliament *

George Ridley (Whig politician) George Ridley (1818 – 4 November 1887) was a British Liberal and Whig politician. The son of former Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England ...

(1818–1887), British Member of Parliament *

Greg Ridley Alfred Gregory Ridley (23 October 1941 – 19 November 2003) was an English bassist who was the bassist and a founding member of the rock band Humble Pie and Spooky Tooth. Career Ridley was born in Carlisle, Cumberland, England. Early in his ...

(1942–2003), English rock bassist * Harold Ridley (Jesuit) (1939–2005), President of Loyola College, Maryland (1994–2005) * Harold Ridley (ophthalmologist) (1906–2001), English ophthalmologist *

Henry Nicholas Ridley Henry Nicholas Ridley CMG (1911), MA (Oxon), FRS, FLS, F.R.H.S. (10 December 1855 – 24 October 1956) was an English botanist, geologist and naturalist who lived much of his life in Singapore. He was instrumental in promoting rubber trees i ...

(1855–1956), English botanist *

Humphrey Ridley Dr Humphrey Ridley (1653 – April 1708) was a British physician, who followed the research done by Thomas Willis, Willis, Raymond Vieussens, Vieussens, and Galen, and is most noted for his studies of neuroanatomy. Life Ridley was born the ...

(1653–1708), English physician * Ian Ridley (1934–2008), Australian rules footballer * Jack Ridley (engineer) (1919–2006), New Zealand civil engineer and politician *

Jack Ridley (pilot) Colonel Jackie Lynwood Ridley (June 16, 1915 – March 12, 1957) was an aeronautical engineer, USAF test pilot and chief of the U.S. Air Force's Flight Test Engineering Laboratory. He helped develop and test many Cold War era military aircraft ...

(1915–1957), American aeronautical engineer, and U.S. Air Force test pilot and officer * James Ridley (footballer), English footballer * Jane Ridley (born 1953), British biographer *

Jasper Nicholas Ridley Hon. Sir Jasper Nicholas Ridley (6 January 1887 – 1 October 1951) was a British barrister, banker, and agriculturalist. He was also chairman of the Trustees of the Tate Gallery and a Trustee of the British Museum and of the National Gallery. Ea ...

(1887–1951), British banker *

Jasper Ridley Jasper Godwin Ridley, FRSL (25 May 1920 – 1 July 2004) was a British writer, known for historical biographies. He received the 1970 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his biography of ''Lord Palmerston''. Born in West Hoathly, Sussex, he was ...

(1920–2004), British writer known for historical biographies * Jeanne Clare Ridley (1925–2007), American sociologist, statistician, and demographer *

John Ridley John Ridley IV (born 1965) is an American screenwriter, television director, novelist, and showrunner, known for ''12 Years a Slave'', for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He is also the creator and showrunner of the an ...

(born 1965), American film director, actor, and writer *

John Ridley (footballer) John Ridley (27 April 1952 – 3 May 2020) was an English footballer. A versatile player able to play as a defender or midfielder, he had a twelve-year professional career in the English Football League, playing for Port Vale and Chester ...

(born 1952), English soccer player * John Ridley (inventor) (1806–1887), best known for "Ridley's Stripper" * John S. Ridley (1882–1934), Canadian politician *

Lancelot Ridley Lancelot Ridley (died 1576), was an English clergyman, known as a theological writer, and rector of St James' Church, Stretham, Cambridgeshire. Life He was educated at Clare Hall, Cambridge, and proceeded BA 1523–4, and commenced MA 1527, ...

(died 1576), divinity rector of Stretham and father of physician Mark Ridley * Mabel Ridley (1895–1938), African-American singer * Malcolm Ridley (born 1966), actor and writer * Mark Ridley (physician) (1560–1624), English physician and mathematician * Mark Ridley (zoologist) (born 1956), English zoologist * Matt Ridley (born 1958), British science writer, financier * Matthew Ridley, 1st Viscount Ridley (1842–1904), British politician and statesman * Roy Ridley (1890–1969), academic, writer and poet * Mike Ridley (born 1963), ice hockey centre *

Nicholas Ridley (martyr) Nicholas Ridley ( – 16 October 1555) was an English Bishop of London (the only bishop called "Bishop of London and Westminster"). Ridley was one of the Oxford Martyrs burned at the stake during the Marian Persecutions, for his teachings an ...

(died 1555), English bishop *

Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale, (17 February 1929 – 4 March 1993), was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister. As President of the Selsdon Group, a free-market lobby within the Conservative Party, he wa ...

(1929–1993), British politician *

Philip Ridley Philip Ridley (born 1957 in East London) is an English storyteller working in a wide range of artistic media. As a visual artist he has been cited as a contemporary of the 'Young British Artists', and had his artwork exhibited internationally. ...

(born 1964), British artist * Riley Ridley (born 1996) American football player *

Rita Ridley Rita Ridley (née Lincoln; 4 November 1946 – 12 February 2013) was an English middle- and long-distance runner. Biography She started in athletics at school in Essex with her twin sister Iris. Aged 18, she finished second to Joyce Smith in ...

(1946–2013), English runner * Rosalind Ridley (born 1949) Neuropsychologist *

Stevan Ridley Stevan Todd Ridley (born January 27, 1989) is a former American football running back. He played college football at LSU and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Ridley has also played for the New ...

(born 1989), American football player * Yvonne Ridley (born 1958), English journalist

Given name

* Ridley Jacobs (born 1967), West Indian cricketer *

Ridley Pakenham-Walsh Major General Ridley Pakenham Pakenham-Walsh, (29 April 1888 – 3 November 1966) was a senior British Army officer who served as Engineer-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force in the Battle of France and later as General Officer Comma ...

(1888–1966), British general *

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades th ...

(born 1937), English film director * Ridley Pearson (born 1953), American Author

References

{{given name, type=both English-language surnames

People

Surname

Given name

See also

References