The Clan/Sept History

The Strongbownian invaders added their Norman conventions for surnames to the
previously established Irish system for hereditary surnames. One of the most
frequent forms of surnames for both cultures was the patronymic surname, which
was formed from the name of the bearer's father or grandfather. The Norman
tradition that the followers of Strongbow brought with them created such a
surname through diminutive suffixes such as -ot, -et, -un, -in, or -el.
Occasionally, two suffixes were combined to form a double diminutive, as in the
combinations of -el-in, -el-ot, -in-ot, and -et-in. The Normans also formed
patronymic surnames in a manner very similar to the Irish: they added a prefix
to their father's name. These Anglo-Norman people, however, used the prefix
Fitz-, which was derived from the French word fils, and ultimately from the
Latin filius, which both mean son. Although this prefix probably originated in
Flanders or Normandy, it can now only be found in Ireland. The surname Redmond
is derived from the personal name Raymond, which is derived from the Old French
forenames Raimund and Raimond. These are derived from the Old German personal
name Raginmund, which literally means counsel-army or might-army. The Gaelic
form of the surname Redmond is Réamonn.

During the lifetime of an individual person, his name was often spelt by church
officials and medieval scribes the way it sounded. An examination of the many
different Origins of each name has revealed many spelling variations for the
name: Redmond, Reddman, Reddmon, Redman, Reddan, Redmon, Redmand, Readmond,
Redmaynd, Redmayne, Reddmayne, Redmane, Reddmane, Reddane, Redmoyne, Redmoynd,
Redmain, Redmaine, Redmoine, Reddmyne, Redmyn, Reddmin, Redmin, Redmind and many
more.
First found in county Wexford, where they were granted lands by Strongbow, Earl
of Pembroke, during the invasion of Ireland in 1172.
Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty
and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the
promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of
economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contriBute greatly
to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually,
they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts.
An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name
Redmond: Thomas Redman settled in Barbados in 1635; William Redman settled in
Virginia in 1636; Mary Redman settled in Virginia with her husband in 1652;
Patrick Redmond settled with his wife Bridget and four children in New York
State in 1804..