The Riordan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,848 people carried this name — #4,515 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 37,600 people counted. That is up 6% from 7,394 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Riordan surname

As a surname in the United Kingdom

Harrison classes it as a Celtic name: ‘Royal Bard’.

From the Irish Ríghbhardán: rígh, “a king”, and bard, “a poet”.

From Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. II (London: The Morland Press, 1918), p. 115 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 159 births for the Riordan name in 1890.

Most were registered in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 7,100 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 25 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 154
Leinster 4
Ulster 1

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

In print

Riordan in American newspapers,
1894–1913.

Newspaper page from The Anaconda Standard carrying the name Riordan
The Anaconda Standard 1894-11-18
Newspaper page from The Butte Inter Mountain carrying the name Riordan
The Butte Inter Mountain 1902-06-14
Newspaper page from The Daily Missoulian carrying the name Riordan
The Daily Missoulian 1913-06-26

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 49,768 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Riordan in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

40,842 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Riordan. The most, 11,066, 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 Queensland, at 2.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 20,617
New South Wales 8,842
Victoria 5,392
Western Australia 2,149
South Australia 1,753
Tasmania 1,331
ACT (Canberra) 638
Northern Territory 62

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

Who carried it

People named Riordan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Patrick William Riordan
    Patrick William Riordan 1841–1914 · archbishop
  • Daniel J. Riordan
    Daniel J. Riordan 1870–1923 · politician
  • Jim Riordan
    Jim Riordan 1882–1955 · politician
  • Darby Riordan
    Darby Riordan 1888–1936 · politician
  • Ernest Riordan
    Ernest Riordan 1901–1953 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 79 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Riordan,
in the records of 5 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 States2,661 records

2,661 records of the Riordan name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 842
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 819
  • Other U.S. records 1,000
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Arthur C. G. Riordan

    Born 1918 in New York. Enlisted 1943 at New York City; clerk from Nassau County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1966, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record John Michael Riordan

    Born 1944; from Seattle, Washington. U.S. Navy, aviation structural mech; died in an accident 1966 in North Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Daniel Riordan

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 20; laborer. From Kanterk, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,661 records for Riordan in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · 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); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia730 records

730 records of the Riordan name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 369
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 142
  • Other Australian records 219
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Travers Twiss Riordan

    Died 1910 in Hobart, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1910.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Elizabeth Turnbull R. Riordan

    Born 1870 in Campbell Town, Tasmania. Married 1899 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 29.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (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 Jeremiah Riordan

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Surry, arriving 1836; ticket of leave 1840. Native of Cork.

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

Showing 3 of 730 records for Riordan in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada56 records

56 records of the Riordan name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 35
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 5
  • Other Canadian records 16
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Bernard Francis Riordan

    Buried in 1979 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 83.

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

    Died 1954 in Port Wade, Annapolis, 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 Hubert De Burgh Riordan

    Died in service in 1915.

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

Showing 3 of 56 records for Riordan in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. 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).

New Zealand31 records

31 records of the Riordan name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 29
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Annie Winifred Riordan

    Died 1950, aged 76; buried at Ruru Lawn, 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 John Riordan

    Buried in 1910 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 76.

    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 Timothy Riordan

    Died 1939, aged 80; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 31 records for Riordan 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).

United Kingdom6 records

6 records of the Riordan name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. Riordan

    Royal Munster Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. Riordan

    Gunner, Its Guards. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record M. Riordan

    Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 6 records for Riordan in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Riordan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Riordan 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.

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