The Redfern surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,340 people carried this name — #9,712 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 88,500 people counted. That is up 2% from 3,278 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Redfern surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley explains it as ‘of Redfern’.

His entry covers Redfern and Redfearn.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 640 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 5 births for the Redfern name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 2
Connacht 1
Leinster 1
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Redfern was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Derbyshire: 34 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 294. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Derbyshire 34
Staffordshire 16

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Redfern in American newspapers,
1902–1927.

Newspaper page from The Stark County Democrat carrying the name Redfern
The Stark County Democrat 1902-06-27
Newspaper page from The Watchman And Southron carrying the name Redfern
The Watchman And Southron 1927-09-14
Newspaper page from The Salt Lake Herald carrying the name Redfern
The Salt Lake Herald 1908-04-26

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Redfern in Australian newspapers,
1800s–1990s.

14,252 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Redfern. The most, 2,318, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 8,143
Victoria 2,959
Queensland 1,220
Western Australia 1,073
South Australia 491
Tasmania 229
ACT (Canberra) 41
Northern Territory 4

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Redfern.

Who carried it

People named Redfern,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Redfern
    William Redfern 1774–1833 · physician
  • James Redfern
    James Redfern 1838–1876 · sculptor
  • John Redfern 1820–1895 · businessperson
  • Charles E. Redfern 1839–1929 · politician
  • George W. Redfern 1844–1901 · photographer
  • Harry Redfern 1861–1950 · architect

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Redfern,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States527 records

527 records of the Redfern name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 141
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 139
  • Other U.S. records 247
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Macon E. Redfern

    Born 1917 in Georgia. Enlisted 1941 at Fort McPherson Atlanta; driver from Glascock County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Mount Zion Methodist, Gibson, Georgia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Annie Redfern

    Arrived at New York in 1865 aboard the Escort from Liverpool, aged 21; servant. From Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record A. Roscoe Redfern

    U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. Born 1935, died 1995; buried at Cross Plains Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 527 records for Redfern in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia486 records

486 records of the Redfern name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 311
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 97
  • Other Australian records 78
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Redfern

    Died 1870 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 52. Will registered in Tasmania in 1870.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ann J. Redfern

    Arrived in Victoria in 1857 aboard the James Baines, aged 23; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Thomas Redfern

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Prince Regent, arriving 1820; ticket of leave 1841.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 486 records for Redfern in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada43 records

43 records of the Redfern name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 10
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 10
  • Other Canadian records 23
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Harold Roberts McDermot Redfern

    Died 1994, aged 86; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Lilian Redfern

    Died 1919 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Donald Leroy Redfern

    Died in service in 1943.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 43 records for Redfern in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom35 records

35 records of the Redfern name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 22
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 7
  • Other British records 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Redfern

    Died 1994, aged 79; buried at Dunblane Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Marriet Redfern

    Will proved in 1937; of Old Colwyn, Denbigh.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Redfern

    Corporal, Cheshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 35 records for Redfern in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand9 records

9 records of the Redfern name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 6
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Redfern

    Died 1897, aged 33; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Arthur Redfern

    Buried in 1913 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 58.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edith Kate Redfern

    Died 1962, aged 85; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Redfern in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Redfern name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Renee Amelia Redfern

    Born 1893 in Colombes (Paris); died 1980 in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Redfern.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Redfern is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Redfern volume
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