Reith

Reith
This Scottish surname is quite uncommon and its origins are obscure. It is probably a development of the Olde Gaelic 'riabhach', meaning grey or brindled, and hence a nickname for someone with grey hair. Its apparent popularity in the public conception is because of the association with the late Lord Reith, the first chairman of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and a man who left a strong imprint of social responsibility and acceptability on the developing media of the period upto 1950. Sadly his successors have not possessed the same commitment to their duties. The surname is recorded in a variety of spellings including Raith, Reith, Reithe, Rethe, and Reyth, the consensus of opinion is that the name is a development from the clan name MacReith, itself a derivative of the clan MacRae. All original recordings are from the county of Aberdeenshire, but very late being 18th century, some four hundred years after the creation of surnames. There are a number of examples of Scottish surnames particularly from the East Coast region who simply 'appeared' as if out of fresh air, in the registers of the period, and this is one of them. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Andrew Reith, which was dated 1725, in the register of Collonach, Aberdeenshire, during the reign of King George 1st of England, known as 'German George', 1715 - 1727. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Reith — Reith, so v.w. Schilf. Reithgras, ist Calamagrostis lanceolata (Arundo c.), auf feuchten Wiesen …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Reith — Reith, Lord (1889 1971) a British ↑administrator who was the first general manager of the ↑BBC (1922 27) and its first ↑director general (1927 38). He had a great influence on the development of broadcasting in the UK, expected high standards,… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Reith — Porté notamment dans la Moselle et le Haut Rhin, c est soit un toponyme avec le sens d essart, forêt défrichée, soit un surnom métonymique pour celui qui exploite un essart (ancien haut allemand riuti = clairière, essart) …   Noms de famille

  • reith — var. rethe a. Obs …   Useful english dictionary

  • Reith — (John Reith 1889–1971) a Scottish broadcaster who became the first general manager of the BBC. He began his career in industry, but joined the BBC in 1922. During his period as general manager (1927–38) he set high standards in public service… …   Universalium

  • Reith — Nombre Protonórdico Anglosajón Nórdico antiguo *Raiđō Rad Reið cabalgar, viaje Forma Futhark antiguo …   Wikipedia Español

  • Reith im Alpbachtal — Reith im Alpbachtal …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Reith bei Seefeld — Reith bei Seefeld …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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