English: habitational name from any of various places in
England so named, especially the one in Northumberland, which, like
that in Cheshire, is derived from Old English geryd ‘channel’ +
leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’. Those in Essex and Kent appear in
Domesday Book as Retleia and Redlege respectively, and
get their names from Old English hreod ‘reed’ +
leah.
Possibly also an altered spelling of German
Riedel or Riedler (see Ridler).
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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