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Reith
Reith
is a
Scottish surname
, and may
refer
to:
John Reith
John Reith, 1st Baron Reith
,
Scottish broadcasting
executive
Peter Reith
,
Australian politician
Origin
The origin of this Scottish surname is
uncertain
. However, there are explanations as to its origin:
It may be an anglicized and
reduced form
of
Mac
Raith
, meaning 'son of grace'.
Another possibility is that it is a
habitational name
and comes from a
Cumbric
or
Pictish
cognate
of
Welsh
rhyd
, meaning 'ford'.
A less likely
explanation
is that it
denoted
somebody originally from
Reeth
,
Northern England
.
It could, at least in some
cases
, be a
variation
of
Reid
.
In
North America
, this surname has
absorbed
several like-sounding surnames.
