This name originated as an occupational nickname for a rider, deriving from the Medieval English "rid(en)", to ride and "out" meaning "out" or "forth". It is first recorded as a surname in the latter half of the 13th Century. Alternative spellings have included Ridut (1276) and Rydhowt (1379) - "The Poll Tax Records of Yorkshire". The surname Rideway is also recorded in Yorkshire in the 13th Century. The following entry appears in the 1730 Marriage Licence Records of London: "Married - Teophilus Ridout and Love Barnes", St. George's Church, Hanover Square. In the modern idiom, the name has three spelling variations, Rideout, Ridout and Ridoutt. Among the sample recordings in London are the christening of Charles, son of Walter and Mary Rideout, on December 16th 1728 at St. Sepulchre, and the marriage of Thomas Rideout and Louisa Dickin, on April 16th 1855 at All Souls, St. Marylebone. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Elyas Rydhut, which was dated 1273, the Hundred Rolls of Somerset, during the reign of King Edward 1, known as the Hammer of the Scots, 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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